Yours, Mine and Ours
by Passion Berry
Summary: Elena is determined to help her recently deceased sister's baby, but in order to do that she also has to help the baby's father... AU Completely Human.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: So I really kinda don't know where this idea came from... But I knew it had to be written. I don't know how long this story is going to be either. I figured I'd kinda go with the flow. Please review and let me know what you think! :)_

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The funeral was long. _So_ long in fact that I had to keep myself from falling asleep. I'd just finished my night shift at the bar when I had to change clothes and race over to the church, and I almost couldn't find a seat. Everyone and their grandmother was there.

I stood next to the closed casket - being that I was family it was what was deemed appropriate, though I thought _family _was a strong word. A tall poster board stood on the other side of the casket. It read: _Katherine Pierce _in big black letters along the bottom and just above that was what everyone considered Katherine's best picture. In my opinion she looked like a prostitute in it, but then again when did Katherine _not_ look like a prostitute?

Katherine and I may have been sisters but we didn't have the best relationship. Well, we really didn't have _any _relationship.

When we were two our parents split up, and instead of dealing with shared custody they just decided to each take one of us and call it a day. Dad took me, giving me his name (Gilbert), and my mother Isabel took Katherine whom she gave her maiden name (Pierce). We saw each other at school growing up, but living in different households did little to bond us. And once we started developing different interests (which was in third grade) we really didn't hang out together.

I'm sad that Katherine died, don't get me wrong. I even cried when I found out. But I can't say I'm heartbroken. Life will go on.

"I'm so very sorry, dear," Mrs. Flowers said, wrapping her arms around me. I'd gotten more hugs that day than I'd care to admit. "Katherine was a wonderful girl." Lie. Nobody liked Katherine. They were only here because it was the first thing to happen in Mystic Falls since Isabel died five years ago. Another loss I hadn't been torn over. Katherine had been grief-stricken though. That was really when her life started to go down hill. Not that she was an angel before but… Dad had offered to let her live with us but she'd basically told him to shove it where the sun don't shine. Being that she was eighteen at the time he couldn't make her do anything she didn't want to. I'm pretty sure she shacked up with various boyfriends until she turned twenty-one. Those were just rumors of course but it sounded like something she would do. And in a small town, as much as you'd hate to believe it, the rumors were usually true.

"Thank you, Mrs. Flowers." I mumbled, pushing on her shoulders, hoping she'd go away. Funerals never made sense to me. Who wants to celebrate death? I'm sure any grieving family would rather be at home, crying into their pillows.

"Such a shame, to die so young…" Mrs. Flowers said distantly. "Twenty-four, was she not?" I nodded. I would know, since we shared the same birthday. "Such a shame." she said again, before she walked away.

Katherine drove her car off Wickery Bridge. Nobody knew if it was intentional or not. Nobody knew if it was…_suicide_. I wasn't sure myself. Katherine's life was hard, I knew that, especially after Isabel died, but it was difficult for me to imagine what exactly a person had to be going through to even consider…

I sighed. I was ready to leave. I could practically hear my bed calling my name. _Elena._

"Elena," I looked up. My dad, Jonathon Gilbert, was standing in front of me. He placed a warm hand on my arm. Or maybe his hand only felt warm because I was so cold. "Just stay a few more minutes," he murmured. "You don't have to go to the burial if you don't want to."

I smiled softly at him and nodded. "What about you?"

"I should stay." I nodded again. Some small part of me would have resented him if he didn't. He may not really have known Katherine but she was still his daughter. If I'd have died I would have expected Isabel to watch as my body was lowered into the ground. Hell, I'd have expected her to have at _least_ shed a tear. For show if nothing else. But I guess when you're dead you really can't expect anything from anyone anymore…

"I'll see you at the house." I watched dad follow Katherine's rolling casket outside then went to grab my purse off of the front pew.

"-didn't even show at the funeral." I looked over my shoulder. The church was mainly empty now except for me and a few women that just stepped out of the bathroom it looked like.

"I do kind of feel bad for the man," one of them said. "He didn't expect any of this to happen…"

"It's the child I feel bad for. He is in no way fit to be a father."

"You're right. Poor kid."

I knew what they were talking about, though it took me a minute for it to click. Katherine, most recently, was famous for having a child out of wedlock with Damon Salvatore. They never married, but Damon's name was on the birth certificate so he was immediately named the baby's legal guardian. I disagreed with the ruling but there wasn't really anything I could do.

Damon Salvatore wasn't known for his stability. He was known for his drinking and partying. That was how Katherine met him; at a party. They moved in together when she was twenty-one and had been off and on the past three years. Last year she got pregnant and four months ago she gave birth to a baby girl.

I didn't know Damon personally, but I'd gone to school with his younger brother Stefan. And while Stefan never said anything bad about his brother, I'd never heard anything good either…

"The child will go straight to hell with her mother if someone doesn't get her out of that horrible situation-"

"Maybe you should mind your own business," I snapped, whirling around. I may have agreed with them on some counts but I wasn't going to let them talk about an innocent baby like that. Or my deceased sister. "Mind your own damn business!" they stared at me, shell-shocked. I grabbed my keys out of my purse and stormed out of the church. It took me several tries to get the key into the car door and unlock it. I may have been a little dramatic, I admit.

I sat in my car for several minutes, fuming. I wasn't sure why I was so angry. It didn't make sense, even to me. Katherine wouldn't have cared, if our situations had been reversed. She'd probably have joined in on the bashing.

I turned the key in the ignition and as the car came to life I realized something. I wasn't angry at those women, not really anyway. I was angry at the whole situation. I was angry that someone I didn't know got custody of my sister's baby. I was angry that my parents had gotten divorced, driving a wedge in our family. I was angry that Katherine and I hadn't been closer. _Would she have killed herself if we had been? _The thought came before I could stop it. I shook my head. Katherine didn't kill herself. There was something in the road and she swerved so she wouldn't hit it. Katherine wasn't desperate enough to kill herself. Right?

Pulling out of the parking lot, I found myself turning in a direction that didn't lead to my house.


	2. Chapter 2

I wasn't sure what I was doing. Well, I knew what I was doing, I just didn't know why I was doing it. Katherine probably didn't even want me near her baby. So why did I care? I didn't know why Katherine hated me so much. It never really bothered me before, but now…since she died I hadn't been able to stop wondering about it. Maybe that's why I was here. Katherine hated me, and I couldn't help her. But maybe I could help her daughter… Maybe then Katherine could find a way not to hate me from beyond the grave.

So I stood there, trying to gain the courage to knock on Damon Salvatore's door (it was common knowledge that he lived at the old boarding house with his brother Stefan). My breathing was labored and my heart pounded in my chest. I didn't know why I was so nervous.

Finally, after standing there for ten minutes, I knocked.

When no one answered after a while I raised my hand to knock again. The door opened, leaving my hand suspended awkwardly in the air.

"What?" fierce blue eyes demanded. That's all I could see at first glance, anyway. Further examination showed me that he also had black hair and a chiseled jaw. He looked like Damon Salvatore, from what I'd heard. You'd think I would know everyone in this town, especially Damon (since I worked at the bar), but truthfully I'd never seen the man before. Handsome as he was I would have remembered, I had to admit. His annoyed expression turned into one of shock as he looked at me. "Katherine?"

I lowered my hand, which, like a moron, I'd left hanging in the air longer than necessary. "I, um, no," I was more anxious than nervous, I realized. It was still hard to get a coherent sentence to leave my mouth, though. "I'm- I'm Elena. Katherine's sister." the disappointment was clear on his face. I guess I couldn't blame him. I would have been disappointed too if my dead girlfriend turned up on my porch only to reveal herself as the twin sister said girlfriend hated.

"Oh." he rested a hand on the doorframe like he needed the support. "What do you want?" not exactly the most welcoming of fellows.

"Are you- You're Damon Salvatore, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Who else would I be?" he was being really rude, and that irritated me. Handsome or not, I was starting to dislike him. "What do you want?" I had to remind myself that his current situation was probably really hard on him and must have been taking it's toll.

"I'm Elena-"

"Katherine's sister. Right. You said that," he motioned for me to continue. "Moving on," I was finding it really hard not to just walk away. But he wasn't the reason I was there. "Either say what you came here to say or leave. I'm busy."

"Can I see-" I suddenly realized I didn't know her name. "-the baby?"

Damon eyed me and I felt squeamish under his stare, but I looked back at him. "Why?"

"Why? Because I'm Katherine's sister."

"I didn't think you two were close…"

"We weren't," I said, frustrated. "That's not the point-"

"Then why do you want to see Marissa?" he asked, eyebrows raised. I made a mental note of the baby's name.

"Because she's my niece! Why wouldn't I want to see her?"

"You never came by before,"

"Katherine wasn't _dead _before!" my hand flew to my mouth the moment I said it. Why, oh, why did I say that?

Damon crossed his arms over his chest. "I think you should leave."

"Look I-" I sighed, now feeling both physically _and _mentally exhausted. "I just came here to offer you my help," he didn't say anything so I continued. "With Marissa. I know it has to be hard taking care of a baby by yourself and I thought-"

"You think I can't do it. You think I'm going to be a terrible father," he accused.

"No," Yes. "I just thought you might like some help…"

"You thought wrong." he started to close the door but I stopped it with my hand. He could have easily forced it closed but a wailing cry in the background distracted him.

Stefan rounded the corner, carrying a small baby. Marissa was screaming like no baby had ever screamed before. Stefan held her gently to his chest but really that was the only tenderness I could see from him at the moment. His face was full of rage.

"Damn it, Damon," he said. "I can't take it anymore. She won't stop! I'm going crazy!" Damon winced, but he didn't move to take the baby. Somehow that made me angrier than I was before.

"Did you feed her? Does her diaper need to be changed?" Stefan glared at him. I did as well.

"Yes, and no." Stefan looked down at Marissa then back up at Damon helplessly. I felt sorry for the poor guy. Damon, on the other hand, had gotten himself into this the moment he started sleeping with Katherine. "I don't know what to do. She just wont stop-"

I pushed past Damon, holding my arms out. "Give her to me." I instructed Stefan. He looked at me as though it was the first time he'd noticed me since he walked into the room. It probably was. "Elena?" he asked. I nodded. He glanced at Damon for a split second then carefully handed the screaming Marissa to me. I took her in my arms and cradled her to my chest, being careful not to hold her too tightly. I began to sway her softly from side to side and cooed sweet things as I pressed my forehead lightly to hers. After a few moments she stopped crying.

The Salvatore's were staring at me when I looked up. I shifted uncomfortably.

"She just wanted her mother…" Stefan mumbled, sounding amazed. Damon was also watching me with his own look of awe on his face. I rolled my eyes.

"She just needed a little girl time," I smiled down at her. "Isn't that right? There's just too much testosterone in this house." Marissa smiled back at me.

I felt incredibly attached to her in that moment. There was a warmth that started deep inside my chest and spread to every other part of my body. It was a truly amazing feeling; unlike anything else I'd ever experienced before. I made a firm decision then and there: This was my sister's baby, and I was going to be in her life.

I felt hollow when I had to hand her over (I made a point of giving her to Damon, instead of back to Stefan). The amazing warmth I'd felt slowly slipped away, starting from the moment she left my arms. I pulled a pen and notepad from my purse and jotted down my number.

"Here," I shoved the note into Damon's unoccupied hand. "Call me for anything." I turned to leave but then thought of something else. "Baby related." I clarified. Leaving Damon Salvatore with an open-ended _anything_ probably wasn't the best idea.I stroked Marissa's cheek as a goodbye then reluctantly walked out the door. I knew the brothers watched me walk away, because I only heard the door shut when I reached my car.

Dad still wasn't home when I got there - he probably had to go straight to work or something after the funeral. I popped a _lean cuisine _in the microwave and hit start. While my stomach growled, I watched the timer count down. I hadn't eaten anything since eight o'clock the night before and it was now passed noon. My phone buzzed from where it sat on the counter and I was momentarily disappointed it wasn't the microwave timer going off. I picked up my phone - I had a new text message. I didn't recognize the number.

_Thanks for helping. -Stefan._

The text made me smile. It was…unexpected.

The microwave beeped. I ate and went to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Thanks for the feedback guys! I should be able to update again pretty soon, so be watching for that. ;) Please don't forget to review!_

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"Hey, Caroline, table two is ready to order," My blond friend looked up at me, then momentarily over at table two, then back to me.

"This job is so demanding." she complained, not moving from where she sat at the end of the bar. She flipped her hair dramatically and I tried not to laugh. Caroline Forbes was a drama queen, but she was my best friend and I loved her.

"It's a job, Caroline. You're gonna have to work."

"This isn't how my life was supposed to turn out." she sighed.

"Not glamorous enough?" I teased. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm working at the Mystic Grill. Of course it's not glamorous enough. Prostitution is more glamorous." I gave her look. "Okay, it's not." she relented. "But I bet it's never boring…" I pulled a fresh tumbler out from under the bar and filled it with whiskey and handed it to the man who'd just slurred his order at me. This would be his last drink for the night. I was cutting him off.

"You think _this _is boring?" I said. "Serving middle-aged men alcohol and burgers all night? Come on, that's the least thing from boring." I stood on my tip-toes and reached for a bottle of vodka on the top shelf of the rack. "Especially when you get the drunks and the lushes, or the occasional teenager trying to pass as a middle-aged man with the _worst _fake ID I've ever seen in my life. Seriously, what's happened to the craftsmanship nowadays? The detailing? They just don't make fake IDs like they used to." I shook my head dramatically and Caroline finally smiled. I felt slightly victorious.

"At least you get to work behind the bar," she said. "It beats waiting tables all night." Caroline had tried working behind the bar once. She broke two bottles of wine and a bottle of whiskey and was promptly demoted back to waitress.

"I was supposed to be married with a least one kid by now." Caroline whined "I'm terribly behind schedule. I _need_ to find a husband."

I was about to open my mouth to give my _you don't need a husband to have a fulfilling life _speech when two men walked up to the bar and I had to fill them two glasses of bourbon. When I turned back to Caroline she was looking down, ripping up an empty straw wrapper. I sighed, deciding against the speech. It didn't look like it would be well received.

"What's going on with Tyler?" I asked instead. "When do you think you two will get back together?" Tyler Lockwood and Caroline had been on and off since high school. When they were together they would be in love, then they'd fight about something stupid, yell they hated each other and break up. Then they'd miss each other and a few months later they'd be back together and in love again. As sure as the sun rises every morning, they would get back together.

Caroline's cheeks darkened and at first I thought she was blushing. "Not anytime soon," she mumbled. Definitely not blushing. That was anger. "He ran off and married Vicki Donovan." I had to keep my mouth from falling open.

"As in Matt's sister, Vicki Donovan?" I'd dated Matt Donovan for five years. Three in high school, two in collage. His sister hadn't really been known for her…marriage qualities.

"That's the one," Caroline nodded. Her eyes flicked to the bar top and she mumbled, "The slut."

"I'm really sorry, Caroline," I said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She shrugged. "I only found out a few days ago - Matt told me actually, and then Katherine…died." she looked up at me briefly, like she was making sure I wasn't going to freak out at the word. Satisfied, she continued, "I figured the last thing you wanted to hear about were my problems."

"Caroline, you're my best friend. You can tell me anything. Anytime. We could have cried on each other's shoulders." I meant for it to come out light, joking. But instead my voice sounded more soft, and solemn. Caroline smiled softly. I hoped that meant she appreciated my effort.

I noticed the people at table two waving a menu at me. I held up a finger to tell them to give me a minute. The man holding the menu scowled, but he set it down.

"You better go take that table's order," I told Caroline, nodding in the direction of the annoyed customers.

Caroline stood and grumbled, "I wish it was the table I was dealing with."

I filled a few more drink orders before my phone started ringing. I pulled it out of my jeans pocket and frowned when the number showed up as _unknown_. I almost hit _reject _until I remembered that yesterday Stefan's number had shown up the same way until I entered his number into my contacts. I hit _accept._

"Damon?"

"How did you know it was me?"

"Lucky guess," I filled a woman's shot glass then turned around so that my back faced the bar. It wouldn't actually give me privacy but it was better than seeing the people staring at me. "Is everything all right? Did something happen with Marissa?"

"Cool your jets. I haven't cooked her in the hot tub or anything," I clapped my hand over my forehead. _Dear God, they have a hot tub? _"I can't get her to stop crying, again. I need you to come do that magic little- whatever it was you did before." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. The hot tub would have to be addressed later.

"I'm at work."

"So? You said to call you anytime, didn't you?" he said. I sighed. I believed I said that he could call me for _anything _not _anytime_, but for me I guess it really meant the same thing; when it involved Marissa anyway. There was grumbling behind me from the people at the bar. _Hey, get off the phone. Excuse me, don't you work here? _

"Fine. I'll be there as soon as I can." I ended the call, not waiting for him to reply. When I turned around there was a collective cheer among the customers. You'd be surprised how many people drank on a Sunday night/Monday morning.

"Caroline!" I called. She looked up from across the room. I waved her over and she excused herself from the table she was waiting on.

"You summoned me, your highness?" she mock-curtsied.

"I need you to man the bar. I'm taking my break."

"Oooh, yeah!" she cheered, bouncing up and down. She sobered quickly after a few seconds. "Wait, you never take your breaks. Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I promise." I assured her. She eyed me for a moment, like she could tell whether I was telling the truth just by looking at me, then the smile returned to her face.

"Okay!" I would have preferred to watch her for a few minutes, help her get situated, but didn't have time. So I said a small prayer to God that she wouldn't break anything.


	4. Chapter 4

"What took so long?" those were the first words out of Damon's mouth when I got to his house.

"What took me so long? You only called ten minutes ago!" Damon turned and walked away, clearly expecting me to follow him. I had to keep myself from slamming the door. I could hear Marissa crying as I followed him down the hall. It was a pretty grand looking house, with wide halls and large rooms. He led me into a den that had a fireplace, a couch, a couple chairs, and a baby crib in the middle of it all. Stefan stood by the crib, holding a crying Marissa. He was bouncing her lightly in his arms. I went to him immediately with outstretched arms.

"Thank God." he said as he handed her to me. I held her close and whispered softly in her ear while I began to sway, stroking her thick head of dark hair. Her crying only softened at first, but after a couple of minutes she calmed down.

"You're a miracle worker," Stefan said. I laughed.

"Nah. I've had practice," I said. "I sometimes baby-sit for my friend Bonnie." Bonnie Bennett was one of my closest friends in high school, but since then we'd somewhat grown apart. That had more to do with her getting married and having kids than anything else. Husbands and baby's take up a lot of your time. Caroline was pretty envious of her but I just missed our friendship. We'd still see each other at events and whatnot and I'd agree to baby-sit her kids once in a while but that was kind of it.

Stefan yawned a big howling yawn - the kind of yawn only a man could make. It made me laugh.

"Go to bed, Stefan," I told him. Not for the first time, I felt extremely sorry for him. Who knew how long he'd been up. He was probably severely sleep deprived. Stefan didn't argue. He looked grateful.

Marissa started to get antsy and I gently patted her back. She burped and spit up on me a little. I didn't freak out or anything; It wasn't the first time a baby had spit up on me. Damon disappeared into another room and came back with a wet washrag.

"Did you not burp her after she ate?" I asked, rubbing smooth circles on Marissa's back.

"Are you supposed to do that?"

"Yes!" it was really hard not to yell at this guy for his ignorance sometimes. Some people just shouldn't have children. "How could you not know that? She's four months old!"

"We had a nanny the first few months, then Katherine did most of it…" he shrugged. I clenched my teeth, trying not to say something I would probably regret later. Some people _really _shouldn't have children. Damon reached for me to try to clean off my shirt but he hesitated at the last second. I suggested he take Marissa instead so I could clean myself up. He agreed.

"Come here, Missy," he mumbled, handing me the washcloth in exchange for the baby.

"I thought her name was Marissa?" I asked, puzzled.

"It is. But I like Missy better," he shrugged (I was really getting tired of seeing him shrug, like none of this was a big deal to him). "Katherine picked her name. I didn't really have a say." I dabbed at the baby barf on my shirt. Admittedly, I wasn't a fan of the name Marissa either. But it sounded like something Katherine would pick. Damon must have taken my considering gaze as ridiculing because his eyes hardened. "Don't try to tell me I'm not respecting Katherine's memory or some bullshit like that by-"

"I'm not," I said. "I like it. It's cute." I placed a hand on the baby's small back and whispered, "_Missy_," we stood like that for several seconds before I pulled away. Damon watched me as I did.

"Why is this in here?" I asked, placing a hand on the crib.

"Me and Stefan take turns watching her, so it's easier to just keep it in here." he said. I frowned.

"It doesn't bother you that Stefan's taking so much time out of his life to help you?"

"Why shouldn't he help? He's my brother."

"I'm not saying he shouldn't help _a little._ Like maybe he could baby-sit once in a while. But he's twenty-four years old, and it's not even his baby."

"He doesn't mind. It's not like he has anything better to do. Stefan's always been the boring one." and the responsible one apparently. I didn't see _him _impregnating girls. Damon didn't deserve his brother, that much was obvious, but if I told him that he probably wouldn't let me help them anymore, and that wouldn't be good for neither Missy or him. Or me. So I just shook my head. He was proving to be stubborn as a mule.

"I have to go back to work." I said, ending our conversation. Damon put Missy in her crib and followed me to the door.

"Why do you have to work at two in the morning?" he asked, pulling the door open.

"I work the night shift at the bar,"

"Which bar?"

"Mystic Grill."

"Ah. Can't say I've ever been there. I like my liquor…expensive." that didn't surprise me in the least. He probably drove out of town to clubs or something whenever he wanted to party. Heck, he probably hired a limo to drive him there.

We had effectively said our goodbye's and I'd turned to leave when I suddenly remembered something and whipped back around.

"Oh!" I said. "About the hot tub,"

Damon raised an eyebrow. "You want to take a dip? I'm sure your underwear would work fine as a swimsuit. Unless, you're not wearing any…" his eyes gave my body a slow once-over. "In which case, I find tubbing it nude is always fun." he smirked. He actually _smirked _at me.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded. "My sister, your _girlfriend,_ just died and you're hitting on me?"

"Calm down, cranky," he said. "I was joking. Have you ever heard of that? Besides, you brought it up."

"I did not- I said-" I took a breath and crossed my arms over my chest. "I just wanted to make sure the stupid thing is baby-proofed."

"Baby-proofed?" _Dear. Lord. _I bit the inside of my lip and nodded. "There's a cover over it if that's what you mean." good enough.

"And you never take Missy near it, right?"

He scrunched his eyes. "No, of course not. Why would I take a baby near a hot tub?" _Why would the baby's crib be in the den? Why would you not know how to take care of her? Why did my sister ever sleep with you? Why do you have a damn hot tub? _

"Just, don't."

"Whatever you say, Lena." he grinned. I rolled my eyes. He was just baiting me now, he had to be.

"I'm leaving now." I said. He opened his mouth to say something but I turned and walked away before he could, deciding it was in both of our best interests if I did.

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_AN: Please don't forget to review! _


	5. Chapter 5

I awoke to my phone ringing at one in the afternoon later that day. Rubbing crust from my eyes, I reached for the vibrating object sitting on my nightstand.

"Hello?" I answered, holding back a yawn.

"Hey, Elena, it's Stefan,"

I rubbed my eyes again and leaned back on my pillow. "Oh. Hey. Is everything okay?"

"I was wondering if you could come watch Missy for a few hours? I have class in twenty minutes and Damon's gone AWOL."

I groaned. Of course he wasn't there. It was only _his _baby.

"I'm sorry," Stefan quickly said, misinterpreting my frustration. "You don't have to. I can figure something else out-"

"No! No, that's not it. Of course I'll watch her. I'll be over there as soon as I can."

"Thanks."

I threw on a pair of jeans and the first t-shirt I grabbed, which incidentally said _Got breasts? _on the front (a gift from Caroline). Thankfully Stefan barley had time to say hi when I got there, much less notice my shirt.

Missy's crib was still in the den, which was where she was currently napping, so I grabbed the newspaper of the Salvatore's front porch and settled onto the couch. I finished it quickly for lack of interest in anything political, or even slightly news-ish. I only liked to read the little cartoons in the back and sometimes the wedding announcements (who knows why. It was probably Caroline's fault).

I didn't know how long Missy had been sleeping before I got there but I did know I probably shouldn't wake her, so I took to scanning the large bookshelves that lined the far wall. I figured the Salvatore's wouldn't mind, I was babysitting for free for goodness sake. All the titles were old, some prehistoric, so finally I just pulled a slightly newer looking _Gone With The Wind_ off one of the shelves. I had just reached chapter three when a small whine came from the crib. I jumped up, ready for action, only to find a still sleeping Missy. She must have been dreaming. Sighing, I went back to reading the book. I was on chapter ten when she really woke up, and I'll never mistake the two again.

Missy's wailing cry stopped abruptly when she saw me and I almost thought I was gonna get off easy, but after a few seconds she started up again. I picked her up and immediately checked her diaper. I scrunched my nose at the foul substance down there. Spinning around with her in my arms, I scanned the room for any kind of diaper changing necessities. The only thing I saw was an extra coffee table that I suspected was supposed to be a makeshift changing table. There was a large blue blanket thrown over the top and a bottle of baby powder next to it; there weren't any diapers or wipes anywhere in sight. I groaned, aggravated with myself for not having asked Stefan about stuff like that before he left.

I set Missy back in her crib -which she _strongly _disagreed with- and ran around the house looking for diapers. I started with the kitchen, partially because that was the first room I stumbled into. After searching all the cabinets and having no such luck I started walking down halls and opening random doors. I growled out of frustration. This house was _way _too big to do anyone any good.

I thought about calling Stefan but his phone was sure to be off while he was in his class. I tried dialing Damon, but of course his phone went straight to voicemail. So for lack of any other ideas, I ran upstairs. I really hated snooping around their house but what else was I supposed to do? Missy was still crying and I had to find something to change her diaper with.

One, two, three more doors that were strictly closets. The fourth door opened into a bedroom, complete with a king-sized bed, flat screen TV, and a large attached bathroom. I backed out of there pretty quickly, knowing the stench of Damon when I smelled it (Alcohol and aftershave). I figured there wasn't likely to be any diapers in there. Finally I found another bathroom down the other end of the hall that had a few diapers strewn across the sink and some baby wipes in the cabinet underneath. I nearly cheered as I grabbed them and ran back down the stairs.

Missy stopped crying once I successfully had her diaper changed. I didn't blame her, it couldn't be comfortable to sit in your own filth. I sat us on the couch and tried my best to think of anything I could do to keep her entertained. There wasn't a TV in the den or anywhere else on the first floor. The only one I'd seen was in Damon's room and I definitely wasn't going in there. And there was only one toy: a small brown bear. No wonder the kid cried all the time; she was greatly under spoiled. Stefan texted me half an hour later.

_Going out with friends. U Ok?_

I couldn't blame him for taking advantage of having a babysitter. I texted back:

_Yeah, fine. Have fun. :)_

It was five o'clock before I heard the front door creak open. I put Missy -who had just woken up from a nap- back in her crib and ran to greet Stefan. Only it wasn't Stefan. I stopped, surprised, and took in the drooping, wobbly, mess of a man standing before me. His leather jacket was tossed over one of his sagging shoulders and there were dark bags under his eyes. And he rank of alcohol.

"Where the hell have you been?" I'd like to say my voice wasn't accusing but that would be a lie. I have to admit I was a wee bit peeved seeing him like that. I realized some part of me had hoped that something important had been the reason for his absence. Clearly, that wasn't the case.

"Where the hell have I been?" Damon said. He was on the verge of slurring his words. "What the hell are you doing here?" he dropped his jacket on the floor and moved to walk past me but I stepped in front of him.

"I'm babysitting. You know, because you disappeared," I poked him in the chest and his eyes narrowed. I noticed they were laced with red.

"Well, I'm back. So you can leave." he tried to step around me but I shoved him back. He sneered, "What?"

"I'm not letting you near that baby like this,"

"It's _my _baby,"

"Then where were you all day?" I had to keep myself from shouting. "Drinking the world's supply of alcohol no doubt. You reek."

"Says the woman who works at a bar,"

"That's-"

"Move," he ordered. I didn't. he sighed. "Unless you're going to have sex with me, leave-"

I slapped him. Where did he get off saying something like that? No one had ever made me this mad before. Damon Salvatore had to be the most infuriating man on the planet.

"What the hell!" he yelled, reflexively covering his face with his hand. As if on cue, crying ensued from the den. "Ah, great." I was already making my way back to the den. Unfortunately, Damon followed me.

"Make her stop!" he demanded, rubbing his temple. He tripped on the step down as you enter the den and almost face planted into the floor. Which, at this point, I would have _loved _to see. "I have the worst headache." I rolled my eyes and picked up Missy. She hiccupped in my ear while I rubbed her back softly. She calmed down pretty fast. My guess is that she just didn't like the conflict. When I looked back over my shoulder Damon was leaning against a small side table, barely keeping his eyes open. His left cheek was pretty red. You'd think I would have been happy about that, but instead it bothered me that I'd gotten that angry.

"Go to bed, Damon," I told him, sighing. He was very drunk and odds were he wasn't going to remember this little exchange, so there was really no point in lecturing him further. Damon tried to stand up but nearly stumbled over his own feet before he even moved. I set Missy down in her crib and grabbed him by the arm before he could properly do that face plant I so badly wanted just moments ago. Wrapping his arm around my shoulders and one of mine around his waist, I somehow managed to help him up the stairs and to his bed. I paused for a second at his door, wondering if he could make it the rest of the way himself but when he leaned harder against me I decided that was a no.

"You're really good at that," he mumbled as I sat him on the bed.

"Taking care of drunks? It comes with the job."

"Taking care of babies. Taking care of Missy." he fell over and landed on one of his pillows.

"Oh. Thanks." I guess. What else was I supposed to say?

"You should move in,"

"What?" I was sure I had heard him wrong.

"You should move in here. With us." he tried to lean up but failed miserably. I could tell he was falling asleep. "We need your help." that was just about the sweetest, most innocent thing Damon had said since I met him. And if I didn't know he was totally wasted, I maybe could have dug up just a tad bit of sympathy for him. He fell asleep before I could answer. Which was good, because I didn't know what to say.

Before I left, I flipped him onto his stomach so that he wouldn't drown in his own vomit if he threw up. I even took off his shoes for him.

Stefan got home at seven to relieve me. He even apologized for taking so long. I told him not to worry about it.


	6. Chapter 6

"Maybe it's not such a bad idea," Stefan said, tossing one of his fries into his mouth. I almost choked on my bite of sandwich.

"What?" I sputtered, reaching for my glass of water. I downed a big gulp.

Stefan shrugged. "I don't think it's such a bad idea. You're there all the time, anyway. Why not move in? It makes sense."

I'd just woken up when Stefan called me earlier that afternoon. I expected him to ask me to watch Missy again-I'd already been grabbing my keys-but he surprised me by asking me to lunch. I wasn't stupid enough to believe it was a date - he just wanted to hang out, get to know me a little. Which was understandable since I was taking care of his niece. That she was my niece too was beside the point.

"Damon never makes _sense_," I said, rolling my eyes. I nibbled on a fry. "He's…Damon." And he always would be.

"Normally, I would agree," Stefan said. "But, occasionally, something sparks in his head and it results in a good idea."

I snorted and picked at the last bite of my sandwich. "I guess."

"I'm serious, Elena," he leaned forward. "Move in with us. Missy wouldn't be the only one happy to see you more often,"

I reached for my water again and took another sip, trying to hide the blush creeping up my neck. "You really think I should?"

"Yes. I do." His face was serious; there was no sign that he was kidding. I imagined if I had been talking to Damon I would have heard sarcasm in his voice. But this wasn't Damon I was talking to.

I thought about it for a minute. The plus side would be getting to see Missy more. The down side… I'd have to see Damon more.

"Okay." The good outweighed the bad, I decided. There wasn't much else Damon could do to get me to regret this decision. He'd been pretty horrible since I met him. What else could he do?

"Great!" Stefan smiled and I felt a small flutter of butterflies in my stomach.

Our waitress walked over with the ticket and I pulled out my wallet to divvy up my half, but Stefan tossed a twenty on counter and waved me off. "I got it," he said.

"You're sure?" I asked. "Because I could-"

"It's the least I could do. Since you covered for me last night with Missy,"

_Yeah, well, she wasn't yours to cover._

"So, when can we expect you?" he asked as we stood.

"Um," I shoved my wallet back in my purse and grabbed my keys. "Tomorrow? Is that okay?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

My dad wasn't thrilled with me moving in with the Salvatore's. But there wasn't anything he could do about it. I was an adult and I could do what I wanted - I didn't need his permission. I wasn't exactly thrilled about living with two testosterone driven males either, but I was determined to be a presence in Missy's life. And I was at least certain _Stefan_ would behave. I could handle Damon; he just needed a good kick to the testicles sometimes.

So I pulled up to the boarding house the next day with several boxes of my things. Obviously, I didn't bring everything I owned-just some clothes and toiletries. I figured if I remembered something else that I needed I could just run back over to my dad's house and get it.

Stefan was helping me carry in my stuff when Damon meandered down the stairs. He took one look at me and the boxes and his expression changed from mildly annoyed to angry. "What the hell is this?" he demanded.

"Elena's moving in," Stefan said, setting my last box at the bottom of the stairs. "You want to help me carry her stuff upstairs?"

"Who's idea was this? And why wasn't I included in the decision?" Damon asked, shooting daggers at Stefan. Stefan grinned a little and took a seat on the bottom step.

"It was your idea," I informed Damon, crossing my arms. "The other night, when I had to practically carry you to bed…" _Like the child you are…_ "Any of this ringing a bell? Think hard. But don't hurt yourself."

Damon scowled at me, but do to his silence he obviously didn't have a clever retort. He turned and headed for the kitchen, pouting. At the last second, he glanced over his shoulder and said, "Put her in a room far away from mine." he paused, thought for a second, then looked at me. "Unless you want to reconsider the sex thing…"

I narrowed my eyes at him, and briefly considered flipping him off, but he was already disappearing through the kitchen door. So now he had a selective memory? There was no way he could remember that and not him asking me to move in.

"Ass." I muttered. Stefan laughed, and after a second, I did too.

Stefan's room was on one end of the hall and Damon's was on the other. It was like choosing between good and evil, the angel or the devil. Against my wishes, and Damon's, though, I had Stefan set me up in a room on the devil's side. Because Missy _was _going to be moving upstairs with the rest of us. And you can darn well bet she was going to be close to her father - whether he liked it or not.

Stefan had class again that night and God knows what Damon had to do - I, for one, didn't, because he didn't inform me he was even leaving - so I was left alone with Missy again. I was actually glad they were both gone for the afternoon - though I still planned on chewing Damon out for it later - because it gave me the time I needed to get some things done. Missy didn't mind either. She smiled at me when I peered over her crib at her.

"Alright, baby girl," I mumbled, picking her up. "Aunt Elena is going to change some things around here. Does that sound good?" I wiggled my nose against hers and she giggled. "Sounds like a yes to me."

"First things first," I perched Missy on my hip and grabbed my purse off the couch. "It's time for a little shopping. Just us girls."


	7. Chapter 7

Shopping at the baby store was a lot more fun than I'd ever thought it would be. I'd always been indifferent toward baby merchandise, meaning I was never one to stare at a little pink dress wistfully - unlike my friend Caroline. But maybe now that I actually had a baby that I was taking care of… It changed things.

Now I was dressing Missy in that little pink dress I'd barley even glanced at before. It was only one of the many outfits I'd bought her, along with the right accessories - headbands, hats, etc.

I spent all of my last two paychecks on things for Missy, but I felt like it was worth it. I thought about asking Damon to reimburse me, but that was a fight I didn't want to have. Plus I wanted to be able to buy Missy things myself. She was my niece, after all.

I heard the front door open and close. Quickly, I scooped Missy into my arms and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind me. I bounced down the stairs, coming to a halt at the bottom when I saw a Salvatore round the corner.

"Back so soon?" I asked casually, though my heart was racing just a tiny bit.

"You're still here?" Damon said, just as casually.

"Well, I do live here now." I replied, shifting Missy on my hip to where she leaned toward him. "Don't you want to say hi to your daughter?"

Damon scrunched his eyebrows. "What's she wearing?"

"A dress. Doesn't she look cute?"

"Why did you get her that?"

"She can't just run around in a diaper forever." I said, annoyed. "Have you never heard of baby clothes?"

"Never mind," he grumbled, stepping around me. "Since you seem to have this under control" -he motioned to Missy- "I'll be in my room."

I almost stopped him, annoyed that he would call his daughter _this,_ but I took a deep breath and stopped myself. _Yes, go to your room._

I waited at the bottom of the steps with Missy as he leisurely made the trek to his room. My heart was beating fast from anticipation. It was a good thing he didn't have super hearing…

"What the hell?"

I smiled.

"That's our cue," I told Missy. She smiled back at me.

I climbed back up the stairs, Missy still in my arms, and walked just as leisurely to Damon's room as he had.

"Something wrong?" I asked, standing in the doorway. He whipped around to face me.

"You think this is funny?" he demanded, gesturing to Missy's crib sitting in the middle of his room. "Get it out. Now."

"Would you rather she sleep with you on the bed?" I asked innocently. He didn't think I was funny.

"I don't know what your problem is but you can't-"

"My _problem_," I said, stepping toward him. "is that you aren't taking this seriously. Missy needs a father, and I'm sad to say that, in this case, that's you. If you didn't want a baby then maybe you should have kept it in your pants."

He narrowed his eyes at me but, at the moment, he didn't seem to have anything to say to that.

"Look," I said, stepping toward the bathroom. "I got her a changing table, too. This way it won't be a hazard when you have to change her. And if you need to step away for a second you can pull up these sides so she won't roll off," I pulled up the sides to demonstrate. "And," I crouched and pulled out one of the attached drawers, revealing several of her other outfits. "it can hold the clothes I got her," _Temporarily._ Obviously as she acquired more stuff her things would have to be moved to a bigger drawer, or maybe even a closet. But I didn't need to tell Damon that just yet.

For a minute, Damon just stared at me.

I shifted Missy on my hip again; my arms were getting tired. I walked past a dumbfounded Damon and set Missy in her crib. She fussed a little when I put her down but she stopped when I started to rub her back.

"Elena," he finally sighed. I looked up. He shrugged off his jacket and threw it onto his bed. "Leave."

"What?"

"It's been a long day," he said, rubbing his forehead. "Go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Before I lose control and strangle you." his voice was quiet, like he hadn't just threatened me, but his blue eyes threw a steady glare my way.

I crossed my arms. I didn't take well to threats.

"Busy day drinking?" I said accusingly. "Did they throw you out or something?" Because I definitely would have if I worked at the bar he kept finding himself at.

He stepped toward me and suddenly we were only a breath away from each other. I tried to pretend that it didn't bother me. But lets face it, he would beat me in a fight. My breathing got a little heavier. Missy started to cry in her crib.

"Climb down off your high horse, sweetheart. You're no saint. You only decided to grace my door when your sister _died_," he said. His eyes never left mine. "Where were you for three years? Why was a few days ago the first time I met you?"

Home. Freaking. Run.

How did he know exactly where to hit me to make it hurt?

Tears brimmed in my eyes and because I had no desire for him to see me cry, I was the first to look away.

"You son of a bitch," I murmured, trying not to wipe at my blurring eyes. I turned and grabbed a teary eyed Missy out of her crib and headed for the door. I could have left her there, made Damon spend time with her, but he didn't deserve to have her with him at the moment. He didn't deserve her period.

Damon didn't surface from his room for the rest of the day. I was glad.

I didn't have to work that night so I had Missy sleep with me. I changed her into a onesie I found in one of my unpacked boxes. I recognized it as mine; dad was sentimental. He also must have been the one to put it with my things.

I lay Missy on the bed and crawled in beside her. She smiled at me, her brown eyes shining the way only a baby's eyes can. I was grateful that her eyes weren't blue. The last thing I needed was to be reminded that she was spawned by Satan every time I looked at her. It was hard to believe Damon could have had any part in this beautiful little creature.

But she did still look like him, even without the blue eyes. She looked as much like Damon as she did Katherine.

"You don't hold it against me, do you?" I mumbled sleepily, placing a hand on her stomach to make sure she wouldn't roll. She burbled in response. I smiled softly. "Well, there's that."


	8. Chapter 8

I had already changed and fed Missy by the time either Salvatore got up the next morning. They'd probably enjoyed their first real night of sleep in a while since Missy wasn't up crying all night. She really wasn't a hard baby to take care of. Most of the time when she got fussy it was just because she wanted to know someone was there with her. Someone who wasn't panicky at touching her - which seemed to be both of the boys' problems.

"Coffee," Stefan said worshipfully, following the hypnotizing smell into the kitchen. "Elena, you're an angel."

I blushed, then looked down and fidgeted with the headband in Missy's hair. "If angels make coffee then I guess so," I looked up, but instead of Stefan, I found Damon standing there with a steaming mug. I averted my eyes from his gaze and shifted Missy on my lap, burying myself deeper into the cushions of the sofa.

"Morning, Elena." he greeted me. For a second I debated biting my tongue and not acknowledging him. But then I decided that could be construed as a tiny bit childish.

"Good morning." I said without looking up.

"Sleep well?"

"Yes, actually."

Stefan pushed back through the kitchen door carrying a thermos of coffee. "Hey, Damon." he greeted his brother. "I've got to go meet Rebekah. I'll see you guys later," He glanced over at me, warm smile in place. "Thanks again for making the coffee, Elena."

"Glad to help," I replied, watching him leave. When I heard the front door close I sighed and started messing with Missy again. She thought grabbing my fingers was fascinating. I fully intended to ignore Damon until he left - which I knew he would, he always did.

Except this time he didn't.

He sat down on the opposite end of the couch, placing his mug on the side table.

I eyed him cautiously. He was silent for several minutes.

"About yesterday," he finally said, shifting his eyes to mine. "I'd just talked to my father and… I wasn't in a great mood. But I shouldn't have taken it out on you,"

"Be still my beating heart," I muttered, sitting up, disbelief in my voice. "Is that an apology?"

Damon flinched. "Of sorts."

I acted like I was thinking about it for a minute then said, "Accepted." Missy started to get antsy, so I shifted her in my lap again. "And I guess I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"Ah," Damon said, leaning forward a little. "But on any other day, you would have been right." he admitted.

I shrugged. "Regardless. Now here," I scooted closer to him and sat Missy in his lap. "See your child. She misses you."

"I doubt that." he said, but he took her from me anyway. Missy reached up and clapped both hands on either side of his face, repeatedly, and smiled.

"See?" I laughed. Damon smiled a little too, first at Missy, then me. "Here, Miss," I grabbed one of Missy's little hands and placed a rattle in it. "Leave the poor man's face alone," A face which I realized had the tiniest bit of stubble along his jaw.

Missy started to shake the rattle almost immediately, and when that got boring, she stuck the end of it in her mouth. I placed a hand on her head gently, smoothing down her hair.

"You don't get along with your dad?" I asked Damon, remembering what he'd said before. When I looked up he was already watching me.

"Not in the slightest." he replied. "He's never been on Team Damon."

"Why?"

"Why?" he laughed bitterly. "Why don't you like me, Elena?"

"Well," I said, and started ticking things off on my fingers. "You drink too much, you party too much, you knocked up my sister, and most of the time you're an ass."

"There you have it." he mumbled as he reached for his coffee and took a sip. There was a faint smell of whiskey coming from the mug. I was pretty certain he'd spiked his coffee. I almost got onto him about it, but decided that was a battle for a later date.

"What happened when you talked to him yesterday?" It definitely wasn't my place to pry and I halfway expected him to tell me that when I asked. But I was a curious thing. And, surprisingly, he didn't get mad at me. It made me think he really did want to talk about it with someone.

"My father disinherited me when he found out Katherine was pregnant. It was the 'last straw' he said. For the past year I've been living off of twenty grand I had stashed in my room. That's almost gone… So I went to try to get him to change his mind."

"I guess that didn't go so well?"

"Things were yelled, vases were thrown. The usual for when I go see my father." he said with a shrug. His expression was annoyed, though. I stared, mouth gaping.

"The usual?"

"A little better actually," he said. "Usually he has to have security escort me out."

"You're a very…" I shook my head. "Every time I think there's nothing else you could do to surprise me…" Damon chuckled at me, low and throaty. It was attractive, I'll admit.

"I'm sure Stefan would loan you some money..." I said. Not that Stefan didn't already contribute enough.

"Stefan does what he can," Damon said, his voice softening a little. "But if my father were to find out he was helping me he'd disinherit him too. He thinks he's staying in a dorm room at the university. And he was, until Katherine..." he trailed off.

"I understand." I said softly. Damon and I both looked down at Missy, the only thing left of Katherine. Her eyes were drifting closed, the rattle slipped from her hand.

"She's falling asleep," Damon said worriedly, like the world was going to end if a baby fell asleep in his lap.

"Then let her," I told him, resting a hand on his arm before he tried to move her. Missy fell forward, resting against his stomach. Damon tensed and I gave his arm a gentle squeeze. He looked up at me, worried eyes searching mine. After a second he visibly relaxed. For a moment I absurdly wanted to crawl up next to them, nestle myself under Damon's arm, place a hand on Missy's back. I shook it off and jumped to my feet, releasing Damon.

"I'm going to take a shower," I said. "I have to work later. I should be out before she wakes up." I made it around the couch before Damon called my name.

"Elena," he said, effectively stopping me. I looked back at him, having honestly no idea what he was going to say. "About your crush on my brother,"


	9. Chapter 9

AN: I think it's fair to say this week's episode of TVD gave me the little bit of inspiration I needed to finish this chapter. I mean, Delena! *happy dance* And I'm not worried about that _thing_, guys. They're going to get past it. I have faith. I hope you do too. :)

* * *

My eyes widened.

"I don't have a crush on Stefan!" The words rushed past my lips; I couldn't have sounded more phony.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Sure you do. You get all doe-eyed when you look at him."

"I do not!" _Do I?_ I could feel a blush creeping up my neck. I looked away.

"There's no point in denying it. It's fairly obvious," he said, then tilted his head. "Well, except to Stefan."

_Thank God._ "You don't know what you're talking about." I insisted.

"Come on, Elena. You don't think I'm stupid, do you?"

"Well…" Damon shot me a look and I frowned. "Fine." I sighed, resting a hip on the edge of the couch. "When we were in high school I may have had a tiny crush on him. And now that I've been around him again…it may have resurfaced _a little_…"

Damon nodded, like he expected as much. "You should know that he has a girlfriend,"

"Rebekah?"

"Yeah. Don't know how serious it is."

"How long have they been dating?" I tried to sound as uninterested as possible, but I think I failed pretty miserably.

"Four, five months, I think." he said, then scowled. "I don't care for her. She's a spoiled brat who craves attention."

"So she's a female version of you?" I was only teasing him (for now), but he responded with a deep frown.

"I guess so." he said solemnly. We fell into an awkward silence.

"I, uh, better go take that shower," I said, standing. "Thanks for- whatever you were trying to accomplish here, I guess…"

"My pleasure." he mumbled, reaching for his mug of spiked coffee.

I hadn't realized how much I needed a shower. Not because I smelled terrible or anything, but because of my seriously tense muscles. The hot water seemed to loosen every coil in my body, evaporating my stress along with it. Because of this, I took a longer shower than usual. I stood beneath the hot water for forty-five minutes, just letting it hit my body. By the time I got out, I was in an immensely good mood. I dressed, brushed out my hair, then leisurely made my way down the stairs.

Damon was in the same spot on the couch; Missy still lay on top of him, asleep. It would have made a cute picture, but something told me if I made a move for a camera I'd get yelled at.

"How you doing?" I asked. He looked over his shoulder at me.

"We're managing," he said, then, "You took a while. I'd be lying if I said my mind didn't wander…" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"And I'd be lying if I said you had the slightest bit of a chance."

"Right," he said, nodding, "Because you have the hots for Stefan."

"How about because you're a pompous ass, and you used to date my sister." I said matter-of-factly. He liked to pick on me, I got that, but I was not about to let him ruin my mood. I made my way for the kitchen, stomach growling.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked a little frantically. "Aren't you going to take her?"

"She's sleeping, Damon," I pointed out, not even bothering to look over at him. "Let her sleep."

I pushed through the kitchen door and began to riffle through the cabinets, looking for something to eat. The choices weren't pleasing; several bags of potato chips, pudding cups, and Twinkies. I sighed, closing the cabinets. What I wouldn't give to have the metabolism of a guy. I'd eat crap too if I didn't have to worry about gaining a pound the next day.

There was an island in the middle of the kitchen, and, finally, I found some bread in one of its drawers. I grabbed some cheese out of the fridge and turned on the stove. It didn't take ten minutes from that point to when I walked back into the living room, two plates in hand. I handed one of them to Damon, and he took it hesitantly.

"You didn't poison it, did you?" he asked, eyebrow raised.

"Sadly, I didn't think of it." I said, tearing my sandwich in half. I took a bite and the cheese melted in my mouth. I made an orgasmic sound, and blushed when I saw Damon looking at me. He began eyeing his sandwich again, like it might jump up and eat _him_ instead of the other way around.

"You look like you've never seen a grilled cheese before," I commented, swallowing another bite of gooey cheese.

"That's because I haven't." Damon replied simply.

"No way," I shook my head. "That's not possible."

"I've heard of them before," Damon clarified, a little defensively. "I've just never…eaten one."

"Well then you're in for a treat," I nudged the plate in his hands and watched eagerly as he took his first bite.

"Okay, fine. You were right. It's good." he admitted, going for another bite.

"Yeah, well," I shrugged. "you'll find that I'm usually right about most things."

Missy stirred, her eyes opening, and Damon tensed. I set my empty plate on the coffee table and took her out of his lap and bumped my nose against hers softly. She smiled. I grabbed one of her toys and handed it to her as I sat her on my leg.

"I have work tonight," I told Damon, glancing from Missy to him. "So you're going to have to watch her."

"_By myself_?" He sounded horrified.

"Ideally that would be what we're going for, yes," I said. "But I think Stefan's going to be here in case you need a little help. Like if you happen to collapse of a heart attack." I glanced at a bottle of whiskey sitting on a small table across the room. I made a mental note to find a better place to store it later. "Or alcohol poisoning."

"You sure are bossy, aren't you," Damon commented, leaning back into the couch, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Do you ever chill out? Have a little fun?" I opened my mouth to reply but he cut me off. "I'm going to say no."

"I'm not bossy," I said defensively. "I'm responsible. And you don't even know me. You don't get to judge me when you don't know me."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "That's a two-way street, Lena." he said, leaning his head back against the couch.

I frowned. He had me there. Hadn't I been judging him from the day I met him? Though to be fair he didn't really give me any reason not to. Being completely wasted around an infant didn't put you very high in my book.

"We could try to start over?" I suggested, tucking hair behind my ear. I peeked up at him just as he lazily opened his eyes and looked over at me. He eyed me suspiciously.

"As in…not be heinous to each other?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"I hope you are joking."

"Damn, Elena," he said. "Pull the stick out of your ass." I covered Missy's ears and glared at him.

"I swear to God, Damon, if a swear word is the first thing to come out of her mouth I will freaking castrate you."

He scrunched up his face. "Now that wasn't very nice, Lena. What happened to trying to be civil with each other?"

I had to take a deep breath to keep myself from going off on him. I still made an aggravated noise, though. Missy looked up at me. "I'm willing to try, Damon. But it's a two-way street." I said, using his words against him. He didn't respond for at least a minute. He looked to be fighting an internal war.

"Fine." he finally said. "Fine." He stuck a hand out and I took it hesitantly. "Damon Salvatore. Sex God, playboy, bachelor. You are?"

I tried not to roll my eyes or worse, scoff. "Elena Gilbert," I said. "Barkeeper, recently appointed baby mama, owner of pants you will never get into."

Damon actually smirked at that, which hadn't been the reaction I'd been expecting. "Your loss, sweet cheeks."


	10. Chapter 10

I shifted Missy from one hip to the other and bounced down the stairs. The doorbell rang again, more insistent this time. "Damon, there's someone at the door!" I yelled. "What are you doing?" I'd just finished changing Missy, the least he could have done was answer the freaking door.

"Refueling," Damon yelled back from the kitchen. "You get it!"

I rolled my eyes and headed for the front door. On the other side stood a smiling Caroline. Her eyes landed on Missy almost immediately and I nearly jumped back from her enthusiasm as she practically launched herself at the baby in my arms.

"Is this her?" she squealed and then added before I could respond, "Of course it's her. Who else would it be," I felt the insane urge to hiss at her as she reached to take Missy from me. I knew Caroline would never hurt her, but she'd caught me off guard. Somehow I managed to shove down my sudden protectiveness and (begrudgingly) let Caroline hold Missy. "She's so cute!" Caroline said, smiling brightly.

"What are you doing here, Care?" I asked. "I didn't know you were stopping by."

"Well, it just occurred to me earlier that you've been living here a week now and I hadn't been to see this little angel yet," she said. "That had to remedied immediately." Her eyes never left Missy, even when she was talking to me.

"I wish you could have came by earlier," I said, crossing my arms. "I was just about to get ready for work…"

She made a sound along the lines of "Psh," and walked past me into the den. "It takes you five minutes to get ready. All you do is throw on your uniform. I know you're beautiful and all without makeup but, you know, you could at least wear a little to make the rest of us feel better," She plopped down on the couch, making herself right at home. She wiggled Missy in her arms, making baby noises in her face. Missy's expression was hilarious, I almost burst out laughing. Her eyes were a little wide, her face turned away slightly. She looked like she didn't know what to think of this new overly enthusiastic person. "I'm in love," Caroline gushed. "Better be careful, Elena. I just might steal her from you."

"Take her. She's yours," We both looked over at the entrance to the kitchen. Damon leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching us.

"Obviously," I said, shooting him a glare. "he's joking. He thinks he's funny."

"I think it's common knowledge that I'm hilarious," Damon said matter-of-factly. He glanced at Caroline, a small smirk on his face. "Hey, Blondie. What's it been, ten years?"

"Seven," Caroline corrected, sneering. "Six and a half if you want to get nitpicky."

"You've met?" I asked looking between the two of them.

Damon chuckled. "We've more than met. I'd say we spent a pretty magical night together, right Blondie?"

I gaped, eyes widening. "Gross! Please tell me that's not true." I said, looking at Caroline. She ducked her head for a couple seconds then straightened her spine and sent a glare at Damon.

"I wish I could, but sadly it's true," she confessed. "Though 'magical' is hardly how I would describe it."

"Oh, come on," Damon smirked. "I rocked your world and you know it."

"I think I'm going to throw up."

"It was in high school!" Caroline said, defending herself. "I was partnered with Stefan for a project, you probably don't remember" -oh, I remembered- "so I met him here to work on it. When we were done Damon was suddenly…there, and he was flirty and charming and really how was I supposed to know he was an asshole?"

"Caroline!" I snapped. She glanced at me confused and I motioned to Missy in her lap.

"Oh, right, sorry!" she said then looked at Missy. "Don't you ever say that," she instructed in baby-voice.

"On that note, I think I'll go upstairs," Damon said, pushing away from the doorframe. "I believe both of you know where I'll be if you need anything." He winked at us suggestively and made his way for the stairs. Once he was gone Caroline shot her head in my direction.

"Oh, my gawd, Elena, you haven't…?!"

"Of course not!" I scoffed, taking a seat next to her on the couch. "He thinks he's funny, remember? Besides you're the one who just admitted you slept with him!" Missy reached for me and I glanced at Caroline to make sure she wouldn't get offended if I took her. She handed her over begrudgingly.

"I was seventeen!" Caroline said. "You remember what I was like then. Plus Tyler and I had just broken up for the first time." she added. Caroline was always at her lowest after a breakup. Not that she'd ever really had high self-esteem when it came to men.

"So it was just the one time?"

"Yes! I was done with him the moment it was over. He didn't even let me stay the night. Can you believe that? Threw me out into the street like a piece of tra-"

"Okay." I held up a hand, stopping her. "Can we not talk about it anymore, please? Thinking about Damon naked makes me want to gag." Among other things, admittedly. He was attractive after all, it was his personality that was a huge turnoff.

"But I just want you to understand-"

"Caroline, you don't have to justify yourself to me." I leaned forward, placed my hand on hers and gave it a slight squeeze. "I'm not going to judge you, especially not for something that happened years ago. You can sleep with whoever you want. Unless, of course, the guy is a serial killer. I reserve the right to judge then." Caroline smiled and I returned it. She wrapped her arms around me in a hug. Missy giggled between us.

"Ugh, I really am going to steal her," Caroline said, pulling away. "Like, seriously. I've never seen a cuter baby." Missy reached for Caroline's fingers and Caroline gladly let her have them. "She looks so much like you, Elena, it's crazy. If I didn't know better I'd say she was yours."

My smile faltered. "Yeah, well," I shrugged and my eyes flitted to the couch. "she's not." As much as I wanted her to be, she never would be mine. She was Katherine's. Always would be, whether Katherine was here or not. My fingers tugged at the bottom of Missy's dress.

"Oh, look I'm sorry," Caroline said quickly, noticing my dampened mood. "I didn't mean to upset you…"

"No. You didn't. I'm fine." I finally looked back up at her. "Did you have something you wanted to talk about? Or did you really just drop by to check out my new digs?"

"Well, mainly I came to see little Missy here," She grinned at the baby. "But I did, uh, actually have something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Okay," I nodded for her to go on. She took a slow breath, which, normally with Caroline meant she was about to launch herself into super fast talking mode.

"Matt asked me out," she blurted, then continued before I really even had the chance to hear the words. "And since I know you guys dated for a long time, I wanted to ask you if it was okay first before I gave him an answer because I don't want to do anything that would mess up our friendship. Because you mean so much to me and it's just not worth it if-"

"Caroline." I grabbed one of her shoulders, successfully getting her to both stop talking and to look at me. "Matt and I broke up four years ago. You're free to date him if you want. I love that you thought to ask me though." I smiled softly. "You mean a lot to me too, Care."

"Thanks, Elena." I could tell she was on the verge of tearing up, and if she did that then I most certainly would too, so I decided it was time to head upstairs.

"I should go get ready," I said. "Can you watch Miss while I do?" She gladly accepted. Only bad thing was she wasn't ready to give her up when I had to leave.

"Can I please, please watch her for the night?" she begged. "I would take super good care of her!"

"Damon's supposed to watch her," I said, then turned around and hollered up the stairs at him, "Damon, I have to go!"

"You're going to leave this precious jewel in the hands of Rasputin?" Caroline asked, sounding dramatically appalled. I rolled my eyes and moved to take Missy from her, but Caroline quickly jumped out of my reach.

"She's supposed to be asleep; it's past her bedtime." I said. "I only let her stay up because her crazy auntie Caroline stopped by."

Caroline's eyes brightened. "I'm her aunt?"

"As much as I am," I nodded as if it were obvious. "You're more of a sister to me than Katherine ever was…"

"Well I'm definitely not giving her back now." she said, taking another step back.

I sighed out of frustration. "Fine. But go put her to bed. She's falling asleep as we speak," I pointed to the half-lidded baby in Caroline's arms. "The crib's in Damon's room. Or there's the playpen in the den. Wrap her up in a blanket tightly so she doesn't kick it off while she's sleeping. The changing table is also in Damon's room if she needs her diaper changed." Caroline was nodding excitedly the entire time I was talking. I shook my head, softly, and turned to leave. Then I stopped for a second and spun back around. "Be careful. Damon's not one for…clothes. Even if he says he's dressed…you've got a fifty-fifty shot."

Caroline smirked. "I already know what he looks like naked, remember?" Sadly, I did, as well. I'd knocked, like a good girl, but that didn't save me from seeing Damon in all his glory.

Damon decided to finally bound down the stairs then. He stuck out his arms to Caroline. "Give her here," he said, meaning Missy.

"Nu uh," Caroline shook her head defiantly. "I'm staying. Elena said I could." I took that as my cue to leave.

"Hell no," Damon said irately. "Elena!"

I didn't even look back as I was walking away. I just waved my hand over my head and mumbled, "Have fun."


	11. Chapter 11

When I got back to the boarding house at six-thirty the next morning I was dog tired. All I wanted to do was check on Missy and go to bed. For a week.

I dropped my purse on the entryway table and dragged my feet down the hall, rounding the corner to peek into the den. Caroline was passed out on the couch, arms splayed in opposite directions, head tilted back and mouth wide open. She snored like a man - I'd learned that a long time ago. I walked past her and looked over into the playpen expecting to Missy, but it was empty. I frowned. I had been almost positive that where I found Caroline I'd find Missy close by. I crouched in front of Caroline and shoved her shoulder. Several times. When she still didn't respond I stood, grabbed one of the couch pillows and whacked her in the head with it. She was in the middle of a snore, so when she shot up she sounded like a snorting pig.

"Where's Missy?" I asked her. She blinked rapidly and rubbed her eyes.

"Geez, Elena, what the hell was that? I was asleep!" Caroline complained.

"And the point was to wake you up. Where's Missy?"

"She's with Damon. Where else would she be?" She rubbed her forehead, scowling like I'd done real damage with the decorative pillow.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. It wasn't like Missy hadn't slept with him before - the crib _was_ in his room, but it was always after _I _was the one to put her to bed, and on my days off she stayed with me in my room.

"Yeah," Caroline said. "I tried to get him to let her sleep down here with me" -meaning she whined and quite possible threw a fit- "but he distracted me with his sparkly blue eyes and snatched her from my hands. I chased him all the way up the stairs, but you know I've never been good at track and he locked his freaking door." she grumbled.

"Then why are you still here?"

"Don't act so excited to see me."

"Sorry. Didn't mean it like that," I said.

"S'okay," She shrugged. "I stayed because I figured it would piss him off to find me still here when he got up. I'm a vengeful creature."

I laughed. "Well unfortunately for you Damon is notorious for sleeping in. You should head home."

"Drat." She sighed, "There goes my chance at feeling accomplished." I stepped back as she pushed herself off the couch. "I have to work tonight unfortunately," she said. "But you can tell Smoldypants that I will be back!"

"Will do."

After Caroline left I raced up the stairs, grabbed a bobby pin from the bathroom and came to a halt in front of Damon's room. Knowing how to pick a lock wasn't one of the things I was most proud of - it was something I learned from Katherine actually; one time in seventh grade when she dared me to break into my dad's office and steal all the cash in his desk. That did _not_ end well. - but in certain circumstances it was useful. And there was no way I could possibly go to sleep without knowing that Missy was safe and sound. I had the door unlocked in seconds. I pushed it open quietly and slipped inside.

Damon was still sleeping as I'd suspected. He was also shirtless and flipped on his stomach, giving me an _excellent_ view of the smooth plain of his back. I swallowed and looked away, sneaking up to Missy's crib. She was awake, unlike her father, and from the smell of it she needed a diaper change. I picked her up and hurried over to the changing table before she could start crying. I'd gotten pretty adept at changing diapers so we were finished and leaving the room within five minutes. I glanced back at Damon as I closed the door; he was still asleep. I yawned and blinked watery eyes. I knew I should've just woken him up, he wasn't the one who'd just worked an eight-hour shift after all, but sleep was one of the things it was hard for me to begrudge anyone.

I took Missy downstairs and settled into the couch. She wiggled in my lap, grabbing at anything she could; my fingers, my shirt, my hair. I yawned again and leaned back, grabbing a couple toys off the floor and handing them to her. Luckily, that seemed to occupy her for a little while.

It couldn't have been but half an hour later when I heard Damon's booming voice. I jumped, having closed my eyes for a few minutes.

"Caroline!" he yelled, his voice filled with rage and...worry? I peered over the edge of the couch, looking toward the stairs. Damon was running down them wearing nothing but a pair of boxer-briefs. I felt my cheeks flush and I scowled at myself. "I swear to God I will-"

"She's not here," I informed him, forcing my eyes to look at the upper half of his body. He glanced over at me, seeming surprised to see me. "I sent her home." His eyes were frantic as they slid over me and then down to Missy sitting in my lap. His muscles immediately relaxed as he looked down at his daughter, and I swear he _sighed._

Recovering, he mumbled a, "Good," and slumped down the step into the den.

My eyes widened slightly and grin spread across my face. "You were worried!" I said, nearly laughing. Not because it was funny but because it meant he actually cared. And that was progress. "You woke up and found her gone" - I nodded to Missy - "and you were worried!"

He started to shake his head but stopped when his eyes landed on Missy again. "Fine," he admitted, taking a step toward us. "Whatever."

"Aw, D," I teased, "Look at you being a good daddy."

"Don't get all excited," Damon said. "I just didn't want you to neuter me if something happened to her on my watch. I'm still a dick."

"Not disagreeing with you there," I grabbed the same pillow I hit Caroline with earlier and smacked him with it right in the man junk. "Watch the language." I scolded when he glared at me. "And go put on some clothes. My eyes are burning."

"Along with your lady parts, I'm sure." He smirked.

"You're disgusting."

"And yet you can't take your eyes off me."

I huffed, and then I realized he was right. Damn him. I looked away. "Just go put some clothes on. You have to watch Missy for a few hours while I sleep. I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, I wasn't going to say anything but the whole dark bags under your eyes thing doesn't work for you."

"Damon."

He raised his hands. "I'm going." He turned and started to leave, then glanced back over his shoulder. "Try not to look at my ass as I walk away."

I threw the pillow at him.


	12. Chapter 12

I'd just changed into my pajamas when I turned around to find Damon standing in my doorway. I jumped, startled, and let out a frustrated sigh. I distinctly remembered closing the door. At least he was wearing clothes now.

"How long have you been there?" I asked accusingly.

Damon smirked. "Don't worry," he said. "If I see anything I haven't seen before I'll throw a dollar at it."

I desperately wanted to throw something at him again. Instead I just raised my eyebrows. "That's reassuring." I said. "What do you want? I'm tired."

Damon pushed off the doorway where he was leaning and stepped toward me. "How did you get in my room? I know I locked the door."

"Oh," I let out a breath. "uh, I picked the lock. It really wasn't that hard." Damon stepped toward me again and I fought the urge to step back. "Is that all?"

"You picked the lock," he said, pronouncing each word clearly. This time when he stepped toward me again I did step back. But he kept moving, and so did I. It almost felt like being stalked; a lion after his prey. My back hit the wall and there was nowhere else for me to go. Damon placed a hand on either side of my head, trapping me. "That's kind of sexy," he whispered throatily against my ear. The warmth of his breath sent chills down my spine and heat to my core. When he pulled away from my ear his scratchy cheek rubbed against mine. My chest rose and fell raggedly and I started to lean into him. "Lena," he breathed against my skin. My hands found his hair and I pulled him to where his lips were only a breath from mine.

"Damon…" I mumbled, sliding my hands over his neck and down his arms. His muscles were tense beneath my fingers and I could've sworn I felt him _shudder_. "You're not getting any, so you might as well leave." I planted a hand firmly on his chest and shoved him away. He stumbled backwards and looked at me, surprised. I crossed my arms and smirked at him. Damon stared back at me with a disbelieving look on his face, it was quickly replaced by an annoyed one.

"Fine," he said, then just like that his lips curved into a wicked grin. My smirk slowly began to slip off my face. "But you know it's going to happen. Actually, I bet by the end of the year you'll be willingly showing me your pretty little, black lace panties," I felt my face flush red, both from embarrassment and anger. He _had_ seen me changing!

"You disgusting perv!" I yelled. "Get the hell out. Now!"

"Sure," he said, backing away. "Whatever you say, Lena…" He winked and then left the room. I growled under my breath, anger boiling my blood. There was _no way in hell_ that was ever happening.

I was so mad it took me at least half an hour to simmer down and finally fall asleep. When I woke up later that day the clock said it was almost three. I climbed out of my bed, yawning, and decided - even though seeing him was the last thing I wanted to do - that it was probably time I relieve Damon of baby-duty. I checked his room first, but it was empty, so I padded down the stairs slowly, taking my sweet time. I peeked around the corner into the den, and sighed. Damon was nowhere to be seen, but Stefan was sitting on the couch. As I walked closer I saw Missy laying in the playpen. I was both relieved and disappointed that Damon wasn't here. He'd put off his daddy duties on Stefan again, just when I thought we were making some kind of progress.

"Where's Damon?" I asked Stefan, stepping around the couch and taking a seat on the opposite end.

Stefan shrugged. "Said he was going out. That's all I was told."

I shook my head and sighed. "I can watch her if you have somewhere you need to go," I told him.

"Nah," he said. "I'm okay. I've got class at five but until then my plate's pretty empty."

"No plans with Rebekah?" I couldn't stop myself from asking, but I blushed and looked away the moment the words left my lips.

"We broke up, actually," he said. I could've smacked myself when my stomach nearly did a backwards flip. Breakups were _sad_. I should not be happy.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, still looking down at the floor. I peeked up at him beneath my lashes. He was scrolling through his phone. For a few minutes the silence felt extremely awkward. Maybe not to him, but it did to me.

"What's your major?" I asked, unable to get myself to just keep my mouth shut.

"Huh?" he glanced up from his phone.

"In college…"

"Oh. Business. The only thing my dad would approve of." he said it dismissively, like that was the only thing that mattered. It gave me the idea that pleasing his father was probably his number one priority, whereas Damon seemed to strive to always do the opposite of what his father wanted. The two Salvatore's could not be more different from each other if they tried.

"What do you want to be studying?"

"Honestly," he said, leaning forward like it was a secret. "I've always loved photography. I've been taking a class on the side. My dad doesn't know."

"Would he really be so upset if you told him?"

"My father wants me to take over the family business from him one day," It didn't escape my attention that apparently Damon had been passed over for that honor. He was probably glad for it. "And he's not a fan of wasting time, which, to him, is what me focusing on anything other than learning the ins and outs of business would be."

"That's kind of…sad."

"It's not a big deal. If it makes him happy, I don't mind." I felt bad for him. Damon doing nothing annoyed me to no end, but Stefan doing something he didn't like just because his father wanted him to was just sad. I wasn't sure which was worse. Probably the doing nothing. By a small margin.

Stefan's phone buzzed and he picked it up. "Hey," he said, glancing at me. "I have a friend who wants to meet me before class. You okay if I go?"

_No_. "Oh, yeah," I said, waving my hand. "Go. I got this."

After I heard the front door close, I leaned against the couch and sighed. I was such a wuss.

I was alone for the rest of the day. It was almost time for me to head to work again when Damon finally made it home.

"Finally-" I started as he rounded the corner, but I stopped when I saw he wasn't alone. A pretty brunette clung to his arm, smiling from ear to ear. Apparently Damon hadn't been very serious this morning, because this was definitely not the way to my heart. Or my black lace panties.

"Hi," the girl said, waving at me. "I'm Rose." She was pretty _and_ had a British accent. It was stupid and petty, but I immediately didn't like her.

"Elena." I said.

"We're gonna go upstairs," Damon said, eyeing me with a smirk. I clenched my teeth. They turned and I spun around, grabbing Missy out of the playpen.

"Hey," I called, stopping them. I perched Missy on my hip as they turned around. "Why don't you come meet Damon's baby,"

I swear Rose's face turned sheet white.

"You have a baby?" she asked, looking up at Damon.

"Yeah…" Damon deadpanned. "Thought I mentioned that."

"You definitely did _not_." Rose said, stepping away from him.

"It's not that big of a deal," Damon insisted.

"It's a _baby_!"

"Yeah, Damon," I agreed, trying to keep a smirk off my face. "_Your_ baby." He shot a glare my direction then turned back to Rose, but she was already leaving.

"Babies are not something I want," Rose said, disappearing around the corner. I placed a kiss on Missy's head and set her back in the playpen, then followed them into the hall.

"You don't have to have anything to do with her," Damon said, grabbing Rose's arm. He spun her around and placed a hand on her cheek. "You're here for me, remember?" For a second Rose seemed to be falling for the whole soft voice, sweet talking thing. She leaned into his hand, looking up into his eyes. Damon Salvatore's eyes were where common sense went to die.

"Uh, Damon," I said, acting like I'd just joined them. He didn't turn to look at me, but his muscles tensed out of irritation. "It's Missy's bedtime. Could you take her to your room and put her to bed?"

Rose jerked away from Damon's touch and ran out the door faster than a cat set on fire. And that was that.

Damon whirled on me, eyes full of fiery rage.

"What the hell is your problem?" he growled. I crossed my arms and scowled at him.

"I couldn't help myself."

For a second his eyes flashed with something other than anger. "You're jealous, aren't you? Change your mind already?"

"Like hell," I spat. "I'm about to have to go to work, and I can't have you gallivanting with some girl while you're supposed to be watching your child."

"Gallivanting?" he laughed, but there was no humor in his voice. "What are you, eighty years old? Grown ups have _sex_, Elena. And since you're not putting out I'm having to find it elsewhere."

"Well you're forever gonna have to find it _elsewhere_," I said. "Just not on nights when I have to work. That's something else grown ups do; Work." I pronounced the word clearly, leaving heavy emphasis on the K. Damon's eyes narrowed at me.

"You like to flaunt that, don't you? 'I'm Elena and I have a job damn it, kneel at my feet!"' His mock-voice of me was not flattering.

I glared at him. "It's better than being a lazy jackass like you. 'I'm Damon and I'm a horny son of a bitch, watch me twinkle my eyes and you spread your legs."'

Damon raised his hands in mock-defense. "You can't criticize a method that works."

"Ugh!" I growled, angry. I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. "Just go put your daughter to bed. I'm going to be late."

"Whatever will make you leave." He stormed past me and into the den. I grumbled again and said a silent prayer that I would find the strength to not kill him. It took everything in me not to slam the door on my way out.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! And Merry Christmas!

* * *

Damon brought home a new girl almost every day for the next two weeks. You'd think word would have spread by now that Damon Salvatore was a freaking pig. There should be pictures of him plastered in every bar with a big, red X across his face with a warning along the bottom that read MANSLUT. Maybe I would look into that.

It was clear that Damon's escapades were just to piss me off. He made a point of me seeing each and every one of them, usually _after_ the deed had been done. I felt bad for the girls I saw leaving the house. Especially the ones that said, "Call me," just before he practically slammed the door in their faces.

I only spoke to him when it regarded Missy, and he did the same. I had to admit after a while the whole thing got pretty tiresome. Who would have thought hating someone could be exhausting? Part of me wondered how long we could go being pissed at each other, and the other part was over it. That was the part of me that insisted I be the bigger person, or whatever.

So, even though all I wanted to do was go to bed, when I got home from work one morning I went to find Damon in his room. Of course he was sleeping, and shirtless. I approached him tentatively, like one would approach a sleeping bear. He did look a lot kinder when he slept, I'd give him that. But then again, so did a bear. I thought about shoving his shoulder to wake him up, but that would involve me touching his bare skin. A grin spread across my lips. I'd be the bigger person in a minute, but first my fingers itched to do something mischievous.

I grabbed the pillow out from under his head and yanked, then I preceded to hit him with it. Three times. He was lucky I managed to stop myself then. Beating someone with a pillow was _way_ more fun than it should have been.

Damon shot up in his bed, looking ready to attack his assailant. His eyes were crazy as he found me standing beside his bed.

"Oh, good," I said placidly, tossing the pillow back onto the bed. "You're up."

"Elena?" he said like he couldn't believe it was me. Or more like he couldn't believe I'd just beat him with a pillow. "What the-"

"Get up," I said firmly. I reached to pull the covers back but stopped, thinking better of it. What if he slept _naked_? "Missy is six months old today, and we're going to celebrate."

"Why?" He still sounded half asleep. I was assuming that was why I wasn't being cussed out.

"Why? Because that's what good parents do. And whether you like it or not you're going to be a good dad." I turned and walked out the door before he could respond. "We're leaving in five minutes," I threw back over my shoulder.

He took fifteen. I was just about to go back up and harass him when he finally meandered down the stairs. He wore his usual dark jeans, black shirt, and leather jacket.

"Finally," I said, grabbing my purse. Missy was already perched on my hip.

"What exactly are we doing again?" Damon asked, scratching the back of his head. "And why?"

"Missy is six months old today," I didn't bother pointing out that he should have known that. "And I thought we could go to the park for a little bit. Be a normal family for a few hours."

"But we're not…" he trailed off, motioning between us. I rolled my eyes.

"We are family, Damon. I may not be Missy's mother, or your lover, but I am her aunt. And that forever links you and me. As much as we may not like it."

Damon considered that for a moment, and I took the opportunity to grab Missy's new stroller out of the hall closet. I was strapping her in when he said, "Where's this park?" I looked up to find him standing only a few feet away, leaning against the wall.

"Like a mile up the road," I said, not believing that he'd seriously never seen it before. "I thought we'd walk."

"Walking is for health junkies and people who can't afford cars."

"Well then lets pretend today you're one of those people." Technically he couldn't afford his car anymore. I suspected his only saving grace was that he paid in full when he bought it. Something I was immensely jealous of. Five years later and I was _still_ making payments on my little car.

"You're one of the health junkies aren't you?" Damon whined.

"If by that you mean I believe in fresh air and the occasional walk, then yes."

Damon moaned but he followed me out the door nonetheless. For the first several minutes as we walked side by side down the street we didn't talk. We barley even looked at each other. It was basically the definition of awkward silence. Believe it or not, Damon was actually the first to bridge the proverbial gap.

"So I'm assuming we're on speaking terms again?" he asked.

"I would like to be," _Not_. "For Missy's sake." Missy started to gurgle in her stroller and I stopped for second, crouching in front of her to check on her. Damon stood beside us, watching. I shifted. I always felt squirmy under his gaze. "I do think we should establish some general guidelines, though," I said as we started to walk down the street again.

"Guidelines," Damon mouthed, his voice leaking with disdain. "If I've learned anything from my father, it's that 'guidelines' generally means 'rules.'"

I shrugged. "Call it what you want."

"I don't like rules."

"I'm beginning to learn you don't like a lot of things."

Damon fell silent. That sentence seemed to hang heavier in the air than I'd intended. The truth behind it packed a powerful punch. It hit me then how unhappy he really was. And that made my heart constrict with sadness. I had a feeling Damon would always have asshole tendencies, happy or not, but the bitterness that was always in his voice… That was something else. That was pure unhappiness. And it wasn't just "this day sucked" unhappiness. It came from deep within him, leaving me to believe it had been building for years.

"So what are these 'guidelines'?" Damon asked after several minutes.

"Oh, um," I'd already forgotten about it. "Sex is off the table. So you might as well get that through your head,"

"Aw, but sex on a table is so much fun!"

"Damon."

"Yeah, yeah. You've got a 'do not disturb' sign between your legs. I got it."

I cringed. "Gross. And try to keep your 'special friends' to a minimum. If I see one more girl with her grubby hands on my shampoo I'm likely to tackle her."

"So I'm getting nothing from you _and_ I'm not allowed to bring home other girls? Damn. It's like we're married."

The thought was gag-worthy. "I'm not saying you can't date, Damon. Actually, that's exactly what I think you should do. But try to focus on one girl. I think having a girlfriend would do you some good." I tucked some hair behind my ear and peeked over at him. "I know it hasn't been long since Katherine…died. And everyone has their own way of grieving. But I truly believe having a stable relationship in your life would help you, Damon. Much more than a series of one night stands."

"What about her?" he pointed at Missy. "I've never had a more stable relationship in my life."

And that said something.

"Having someone to talk to about everything makes a world of a difference," I said. "And even though Missy's a pretty good listener, her commentary is lacking."

Damon cracked a smile at that.

We stopped in front of the park. It was basically empty. Only a couple moms sat at one of the picnic tables, talking. Their daughters we playing in the sand that surrounded the jungle gym.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Damon half whispered, like we were staring down the mouth of a lion. I looked at him, amused, and then my eyes scanned the park. Being only six months old, there wasn't much Missy could do at a park. I'd started to rethink my decision about coming here when I saw a swing set.

"Look. There's a swing. She can do that." I parked Missy's stroller by one of the unused picnic tables and carried Missy over to the swing set. I placed her in the one made for infants, so that her back would be supported. Damon followed reluctantly behind me.

"Are you sure this is safe?" he asked, skeptically. I looked up, almost sure that he was joking. Then I noticed the worried crease of his brow.

"Don't tell me you've never been on a swing."

"Theoretically…"

"Oh my gosh. What did you do when you were a kid? Play an instrument?"

He shrugged.

"Oh, my-"

"I get it," he cut me off. "I had a boring childhood. Yeah, yeah."

I straightened, placing my hands on my hips. Curiosity overtook me. "What instrument did you play?"

"I dabbled with the piano a little…" My eyes widened and he mistook my surprise. "I know, it's lame-"

"No! I actually think that's pretty cool. I've always liked the piano."

Damon smiled a little. "Stefan played the cello."

"No effing way. Was he any good?"

He laughed, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "He was terrible. I used to walk around with earplugs in my ears for hours."

I laughed too, the thought of Stefan driving Damon nuts when they were kids was hilarious. But that was how siblings were supposed to be. They were supposed to annoy each other, and fight, but at the end of the day they were still there for each other. I wished my relationship with Katherine had been more like that.

Damon glanced away when I looked up and caught his eye. His gaze shifted to Missy on the swing.

"So we just…push her?"

"Come here," I instructed him. When he stepped toward me I grabbed his arm and pulled him behind Missy's swing. "Just push her gently. I'll stand in front to make sure she doesn't fall forward too quickly. I mean, the swing would catch her but we don't want her to get whiplash or something." Since she was still so small and she was just starting to sit up on her own, I figured extra precaution was probably wise.

"So it _isn't _safe," Damon quipped, arching a brow. I rolled my eyes.

"Just push the swing."


	14. Chapter 14

I sat Missy in her stroller and buckled her in. Her eyes were closed and her head lolled to the side. Even though all we did was push her on the swing, the activity seemed to have wore her out. It was a lot of stimulation for a baby, I guess. I pushed her stroller beside the swing set where I could see her and took a seat on one of the swings. I wiggled the one next to me, encouraging Damon to join me. He did, reluctantly.

"Can I ask you something?" I looked over at Damon. He returned my glance, and nodded. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Do you miss Katherine?"

Damon was quiet for a minute. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face with his hands. Then he sat back up and sighed. "Sometimes I do. And then sometimes I don't." His eyes flitted to me briefly, but then he looked away again. "But that's the way it was with me and Katherine. We'd be mad for each other one minute, and then mad _at_ each other the next. Our relationship was… I don't know. Usually we were either having sex or fighting. It got to be pretty stressful sometimes…"

I nodded like I understood, but truthfully I didn't. I couldn't. The only real relationship I'd ever had was with Matt, and that had been the opposite of stressful or maddening, or exciting. Matt was sweet, but there just wasn't any passion.

"What about you? Do you miss her?" Damon asked.

"Honestly, I didn't know her enough to miss her." I said, quiet shame filling my voice. "I'm pretty sure she hated me."

"She didn't hate you," Damon said, and when I looked up at him his eyes caught mine. "She didn't like you," he admitted. "but she didn't hate you."

I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "Did she say why?"

"Katherine didn't like a lot of people. She was a pretty bitter person. You can't take it personally. Most of the time I don't think she even liked me," he said. "But if I were to guess, I'd say she was jealous of how put together you are. She was jealous of your life. I hate to admit it, but she wasn't happy. Not with me, not with anyone."

Somehow I doubted she was jealous of me. I didn't have anything to envy. The only thing I could think of was that dad was still alive and Isabel…wasn't. I should've tried to connect with her more after Isabel died. I believed Damon when he said Katherine was unhappy. It was obvious everywhere she went. She always wore a scowl.

"Do you think she…" I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. But from the look in his eyes, Damon knew what I meant.

"Killed herself? I don't know," he sighed, rubbing his jaw. "She never said anything. I probably would have went with her if she did." he mumbled the last part but I definitely heard it.

I jumped to my feet and stared, mouth gaping. "Damon Salvatore!" I yelled. "You take that back before I pop you in the mouth!"

"Geez, Lena. Chill out."

"Chill out? Are you kidding me? You don't joke about something like that!"

Damon stood, which put us nearly nose to nose. I didn't move; I was not about to back down. "Who says I was kidding?" he challenged, but his voice was soft…sad. It nearly brought tears to my eyes.

Determination burned in my veins as my mind swam with thoughts, and my pulse quickened its pace.

"I'm going to make you happy," I blurted, looking up into his eyes.

Damon's forehead scrunched. "What?"

I steeled my spine, my mind made up. I was not about to lose someone else. Not when I could do something about it. "I am going to make you happy, Damon Salvatore." I said with conviction. We were so close I could feel his breath on my lips. Damon smiled softly and his hands found my hips, pulling me against him in one swift movement. For a second, as he started to lower his head, I couldn't move. My fingers twitched at my sides, itching to run themselves through his hair.

Somehow I managed to pull myself away, jumping out of his arms. "Whoa! That… That is not what I meant."

Damon smirked, but his voice was soft when he said, "I know, Lena."

"Let's, uh, head back."

The walk back to the house was quiet. I opened my mouth to say something several times but always clamped it shut. Thinking about his hands on my hips and my body flush against his made me blush. I could barley look at him without heat coursing through my middle.

This was _bad._ My attraction was getting out of hand. And it was ridiculous. There wasn't even anything about Damon that was attractive. Aside from his eyes. And hair. And face in general. And, wow, his _arms_. But his personality sucked. I was going to change that.

"I meant it," I finally said as we walked up to the house. "I'm going to turn that frown upside down." I placed a hand on his arm, trying to convey how serious I was. "You're going to be happy, Damon."

His eyes slid over to me, and then slowly down to my hand on his arm. I almost pulled away then, but instead waited a few seconds longer. The moment was quiet, and the way Damon looked at me made me want to shiver.

The front door swung open, revealing Stefan on the other side. He had a fancy photographer's camera hanging around his neck and an impatient smile on his face.

"Come on," he said, motioning for us to come inside. "Let's get started!"

We followed him into the den, Damon a little more hesitantly than me. "Get started doing what?" he asked, confused.

I answered before Stefan could. "I asked Stefan to take some pictures of Missy. When she's older it'll be nice to be able to look back and remember when she was this little."

Damon raised his eyebrows. "If you say so."

Stefan had turned the couch into a backdrop of sorts by draping a white sheet over it. After I changed Missy into her pink dress I set her in the middle of it. Stefan crouched a few feet in front of her, having shoved the coffee table out of the way. I had to stand behind him, making funny noises and clapping my hands to get Missy to smile for the camera. Damon watched from the side. I caught him snickering at me a few times, but I let it slide.

"All right, Elena you pick her up and I'll take some of the two of you together," Stefan instructed. I did as I was told. Missy smiled when I picked her up, glad to share the limelight. Stefan clicked the camera several times, instructing me on different poses. Missy was a delight - you'd think she did this all the time.

"Get in there, Damon," Stefan hollered, a smile on his face. "Let's get one with the three of you,"

"No," Damon shook his head. "I don't think that's a good-"

"Get over here, blue eyes," I instructed, waving him over. "Family portrait, come on."

He looked weary. "Elena-"

"_Now_, Damon." I grabbed his arm and dragged him over to us, parking him right next to me. Stefan started snapping pictures immediately, but after a few snaps he stopped, looking annoyed.

"Don't look so stiff, guys," he said. "Relax. Put your arm around her waist, Damon."

Damon started to argue but I sighed, frustrated. "Oh for the love of-" I grabbed his hand and wrapped it around my waist. His fingers rested on my hip, curling into my jeans. He may have been hesitant before, but now that he was actually touching me his grip was tight. Having a firm hold of my hip, he held me against him, my entire side pressing into his body. I realized now that maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Stefan was snapping away with his camera, but all I could think about was the tension thick in the air as I looked up at Damon. His eyes were animalistic as he stared down at me, a hunger for something other than food filling them.

"Smile, guys!" Stefan complained. "You look like you're about to rip each other's throats out."

More like rip each other's clothes off.

I jerked my face away from Damon's and gave the camera a very small, very fake smile. Damon's thumb started to rub circles in my side and I swear I felt my whole body literally start to _hum_.

"All right, I think that's good," I said quickly, jumping away from Damon. "Here, Stefan, give me the camera and I'll get some of you and Damon." Anything to get me away from him until the rising tension eased. Stefan agreed, hesitantly, and I handed him Missy in exchange for the camera.

My picture taking skills weren't as good as Stefan's - and I mean, _wow_, Stefan was good - but I got a few good pictures of the brothers. And the mood did lighten. By the end we'd all laughed at something or other at least once. Unfortunately Stefan had to leave for class eventually, and that left me alone with the blue-eyed wonder.

I turned to hurry up to my room but Damon grabbed my arm and whirled me back around to face him.

"We need to talk." he said, voice husky.

I swallowed. "Okay."

Without a word, he backed me up against a wall, his hands at my hips. I sucked in a breath, taken by surprise at the sudden movement. His hands started to rise up my sides, feeling every curve of my body. "You feel so good…" he mumbled, and then buried his face in my neck. I stiffened, the heat in my body rising. "I want this so bad…" His lips touched my skin, leaving hot kisses on my neck, and my breaths started to come out quick and uneven.

"I…have to…work…later…" That didn't deter him, and to be honest I'm not sure I was disappointed. "Need to…sleep."

He finally pulled away enough to look at me, his nose brushed mine. And then he leaned closer… "Let me kiss you…" he whispered against my lips.

_Yes, yes, YES!_ my body screamed so loudly I caught myself nodding. His hands slipped down around my hips again, his fingers digging in when I cupped his face with my hands.

Oddly enough, it was looking into his eyes that snapped me out of it. The very thing that usually sealed the deal for him made me suddenly realize what I was doing, and who I was with.

I shoved him away and took a deep, panicked breath.

"Elena," Damon growled, frustrated. He ran a hand through his hair. "You want this as much as I do."

"It's because I look like her," I said hurriedly. "You know it is, Damon. You're attracted to me because I look like Katherine."

He looked annoyed, but he didn't deny it.

"You'll get over it, Damon. This…this attraction to me. You have to move on."

"And how do you know you're not the one I want to do that with?" he challenged. His voice was getting angry.

"Because I'm not! You're always going to see her when you look at me!" I shouted, and then pressed a hand to my temple, trying to ward off the headache I could feel coming. "And that wouldn't be good for either one of us." I said, my voice losing its strength. I spoke more softly now. "You have to stop. I can't do this anymore."

"We're not doing anything, Lena. That's the problem."

"You know what I mean."

He really looked like he wanted to swear, but what he spat out was, "Fine. I'll leave you alone." He stepped toward me and I froze. "For one kiss."

"What?"

"You give me one kiss, and you still think there's nothing here," He motioned between us. "then I'll leave you alone."

I shook my head. "That's not a good idea."

"Why, Lena?" A smirk was starting to form on his lips. And that pissed me off.

"Fine. Kiss me-"

His lips captured mine in one swift movement. And then I was nothing, because the kiss was everything. I was weightless and careless and I felt nothing but that kiss. It enveloped me and captured me and held me close, or maybe that was Damon's hands at my waist. I nearly moaned against his mouth, overwhelmed by the pure intensity of it. But Damon wasn't satisfied until I parted my lips, giving him entrance to my mouth. I raised my hands, wanting to hold him to me, to run my fingers through his hair, but I stopped myself and yanked them down to my sides, curling them into fists.

When he finally pulled away I was lost and dazed and inexplicably _hungry _for more of him.

"Well…?" Damon asked. He was just as out of breath as I was but he still managed to sound confident.

"I told you," My chest was heaving heavily. I drank in air like it was water. "Nothing."

Damon frowned, his eyes nearly glaring at me. I took a couple steps back.

"Yeah," he said, stepping around me. "Fine. You win." He mumbled a curse and disappeared into the hall. A few seconds later I heard the front door slam.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Wow, one kiss and you guys blow up my inbox. Maybe I should give you a little more... *wink wink*

* * *

Things could have been weird between me and Damon, but I decided not to let them be. It was a conversation we'd needed to have since I moved in and there was no reason to be embarrassed or, in his case, bitter about it.

I realized I probably shouldn't have let him kiss me. That was a dumb move on my part. But I hoped we could both move past it.

I didn't have to work tonight, so after I slept a few hours I got up around six and commenced my search for Damon.

I knocked on his door, figuring his room would be the best place to start. It didn't take two seconds before the door swung open. Damon leaned against it, wearing nothing but a pair of dark jeans.

"Yeah?" he said.

For a second the words froze on my tongue. Nerves suddenly picked at my stomach, and I wondered if I should just turn around and walk away. I swallowed my doubt and made sure to look at his face and not…anywhere else. "I thought we could do something tonight. You know, other than baby-watching."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Like," I continued, "I don't know, go see a movie or something."

He still didn't say anything. Just stared at me.

"Look, this doesn't have to be weird," I said, "We don't have to avoid each other. We can be…friends. I want us to be friends."

Still, he stared at me. It was several seconds later when he finally said, "What about Missy?"

"Stefan said he'd watch her for a little bit tonight,"

"All right," he said, straightening. "But we're not going to a movie." His eyes flitted over my jeans and t-shirt, giving me an appraising look. "Put on something sexy. A dress, preferably. Short."

I opened my mouth to protest but he shut the door in my face before a word left my lips. I grumbled under my breath and headed back to my room.

Sexy. Did I own anything sexy? I had sun dresses, sure, but they were a casual cute and were hardly considered sexy. Why was I even listening to him, anyway? I debated just putting on dress pants and a blouse and seeing what he had to say about _that_.

Then I remembered I still had the cocktail dress I wore to Bonnie's rehearsal dinner several years ago. It still wasn't the most sexy dress in the world, but it only reached mid-calf and was strapless. It would work with the short notice.

Damon looked absurdly hot in his dark button-up shirt and jeans. His hair was just the right amount of messy, falling across his forehead, and his cologne smelled of something earthy and delicious. I debated whether I should have put on perfume when I stepped in front of him. I could look almost directly into his eyes, my heels put me nearly at the same height as him.

"It'll work," Was all Damon commented, but I noticed how his eyes lingered on my legs a few seconds.

"Thanks," I huffed. "Are you going to tell me why I had to dress like this?"

Damon turned and started to walk away. I had to follow him all the way out the front door before he answered, "I don't think they'd let you in otherwise,"

"What?" I frowned, confused. I stopped and glared at his back. "You're not taking me to a strip club or something are you?"

Damon snorted and opened the door to his car. "They _definitely _wouldn't let you in there. They could smell your self-righteousness a mile away. Get in the car."

I didn't move. "Where are we going, Damon?"

"Strip clubs aren't my thing, Lena. You have nothing to worry about,"

"Then why won't you tell me?"

Damon threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "You know what? Fine, stay here. I don't care." He climbed in his car and shut the door. I could feel heat creeping up my neck and steam nearly blowing out my ears. I kept my feet planted on the ground until he started the engine and I indignantly hurried to the passenger side.

I angrily clipped on my seatbelt and folded my arms across my chest. "Brilliant. Five minutes into it and you've already managed to piss me off. Maybe you could make a job out of that. Pissing people off."

Damon actually laughed, and I glared at him, fuming.

"Careful, Lena," he said, "You're getting all splotchy. It's not attractive."

What had possessed me to ever, ever, ever want to do anything with him?

We drove an hour out of town, not talking most of the way. I simmered down pretty quickly, but then I felt embarrassed that I'd even gotten that mad in the first place. Damon just gets under my skin like no one else. And he knew it too. That was probably why he didn't tell me where we were going.

It was nine o' clock when we pulled up to a night club. Damon handed his keys to a valet and strolled up to the bouncer at the door, who barley even looked at him before ushering him in. I followed close behind Damon, trying to pretend like I didn't see the bouncer's eyes glancing at my boobs.

The club was dark and…red. Red was everywhere. Music played loudly overhead. I almost wanted to cover my ears.

"You come here a lot," I observed as staff led Damon and I to one of the booths at the back of the room. It didn't take long for me to realize this was the VIP section.

"Enough," Damon shrugged. He ordered a glass of whiskey and a bottle of champagne when a little waitress walked up to our table. She nodded and hurried away, eager to please. I looked over at Damon, lips forming a thin line. He was able to guess what I was thinking. "Figured you're not one for hard liquor," he shrugged. He was right, I wasn't. That didn't mean I couldn't order for myself. But damn it if champagne wasn't what I wanted.

"There's not a lot of people here…" I commented, noticing the emptiness of the club. There were people here and there, but it was nothing like I imagined a club would be like. The Mystic bar was fuller than this on a Tuesday night.

"It's early," Damon said, "Wait till around ten, eleven. It'll be packed."

"What do we do until then?" I asked.

The waitress was back with our order. She set Damon's glass of whiskey in front of him and the bottle of champagne between us, along with two glass flutes. After she left, Damon reached over and grabbed the bottle of champagne. He popped the cork and poured me a glass, then picked up his whiskey and inclined it my way.

"We drink," he finally replied.

"How are you paying for this, by the way?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

"I have a tab,"

"You do realize that still means you have to pay it eventually?"

He didn't look concerned. "Eventually."

He was right about there being more people as the night progressed. The place filled nearly to the brim after a while. Normally I preferred smaller crowds, but by that time I was so far gone it didn't matter. Conversation with Damon was either awkward or nonexistent, so that led to us finishing the whole bottle of champagne, plus some harder stuff once that was gone. I found I was more susceptible to hard liquor after I was already tipsy.

"Vodka!" I yelled to the bartender over the loud music. Once the place filled up our little waitress didn't come to our table quite as often, and I was feeling impatient. And I wanted to move anyway.

The bartender was young, maybe in his early thirties. Handsome too. He eyed my boobs as he plopped a shot of vodka on the counter in front of me and yelled back, "On the house!"

I threw the shot back and swallowed, feeling it burn as it went down my throat. A hand fell around my waist and I turned, finding a man with light blue eyes and curly brown hair smiling down at me.

"Hey, cutie," he said. His hand traveled a little lower. "Wanna dance?"

Normally I would have shoved him away and told him I wasn't interested. I was used to this kind of thing - you don't work at a bar and expect to _not _get hit on. But for some reason - probably the alcohol currently poisoning my blood - I suddenly felt like I really wanted to dance. And he was pretty cute. I didn't see a reason not to.

I nodded and he pulled me out into the throng of people thrashing to the upbeat song.

"I'm Elena," I told him, having to lean close for him to hear me.

"Mason," he said back.

It took me a minute, but once I got the rhythm down I found it easier to move than I had in a while. I bounced, swayed, shimmied, and spun. Mason tried his best to keep a hand planted on my ass the whole time but I was moving too much. And then one time when I spun back around he wasn't there anymore.

Damon stood in front of me, his hands immediately falling to my waist. I grinned at him and rested my arms on his shoulders, continuing to bounce to the music. His hands were all over me. My sides, my cheeks, my hair. I threw my head back and laughed, feeling almost giddy. Our hips swayed together and I spun, pressing my back against his chest. One of his arms wrapped around me, holding me tightly. He brushed my hair away with his chin, and then he was kissing my neck and I was mewing, placing a hand on his head to keep him there.

All I could think about was how hot I was. And how I wanted him to pick my clothes off with his teeth.

I grabbed Damon's hand and began to pull him through the crowd of people. It was harder to get out of the place than it had been to get in. Once outside, we didn't wait for the valet to bring back the car; we found it ourselves.

I backed Damon into his car, crawling onto his lap. His hands fell to where my legs wrapped around his hips and made their way up my thighs, slowly inching my dress up. My lips kissed his jaw, and then his neck. I wanted to taste every inch of him.

My hands started to undo the buttons of his shirt. I was half way down, my fingers trailing over Damon's chest, when he shivered, and a moan quickly followed. He then shifted me off of his lap and slid over to the drivers side of the car. I stared blankly at the dashboard for a second, confused, then looked over at him. He ran a hand anxiously through his hair.

"Wha-"

"You're very drunk, Elena," he said, not looking at me. "Lay back and try to sleep it off."

"But I'm not-"

"Elena."

Drunk or not, I could tell by his voice that I needed to listen to him. So, even though I wasn't the least bit tired, and a little peeved at the sudden turn of things, I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes. Damon mumbled a few curses and then everything was quiet. I heard him sigh and his head hit the seat.

I'm not sure how long it took for me to fall asleep. But I remember feeling dizzy briefly before tiredness finally managed to latch onto me. My head lolled to the side and I reached absently for Damon. I wrapped my fingers around his and gave them a soft squeeze.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Happy New Year!

* * *

I awoke to a pounding headache.

I rolled over and buried my face in my pillow, wishing I was still asleep. I groaned, angry at myself as the pain continued to throb.

This hangover was clearly the product of my drinking last night. I saw this happen to people all the time; get wasted, the effects of that, and then the hangover the morning after. I'd nursed plenty of Caroline's. But I still drank too much. I had no one to blame but myself and my stupidity. God only knew what I did while- Shit.

I shot up in bed, and hissed from pain as the light streaming in through the window nearly blinded me. Yeah, the sun was definitely not my friend this morning.

I threw the covers back and crawled out of bed, trying my best to ignore the headache (a hard feat). I was still wearing my black dress, my heels were on the floor beside the bed. Quickly, I scrambled for something comfortable to wear, something that didn't require a bra. I settled on sweatpants and a large t-shirt.

I accidentally glanced in the direction of the window again and swore under my breath, then, an idea forming, I reached inside my purse. I let out a small cry of success when I found my sunglasses. Yes, wearing sunglasses inside was lame and/or weird but I already looked ridiculous this morning with my pale skin and red eyes. I didn't normally drink a lot, and this was why.

Every step I took only caused my head to hurt more but I couldn't stop myself from nearly running down the stairs. I don't know why I was in such a hurry. I should have locked myself in my room and refused to come out for the rest of the day due to my shame, but instead I felt this overwhelming need to confront Damon about it. To get it out in the open so that hopefully we could move past it.

It wasn't guaranteed that I'd find Damon in the kitchen, but if the smell of coffee was any indication it was a good shot. Plus, I really needed to take something for my head and, wouldn't you know it, the medicine cabinet was in the kitchen.

I pushed through the swinging door, and stopped. Just immediately in front of me was Damon leaning against the counter. He was sipping from a mug of coffee. His eyes looked up lazily at me, but the calm demeanor he was going for shattered upon seeing me. He snickered and set his coffee down, trying to keep himself from full-blown laughter.

"You've got it bad, huh?" he asked, crossing his arms. I shot him a look, but I then realized he couldn't see it due to my sunglasses, which was also probably what he was laughing at.

"I don't normally drink that much." I said and tried to step around him to get to the medicine cabinet. Of course he was standing right in front of it.

"I could tell," he grinned softly. He reached behind him and grabbed a little bottle, dumping two small pills into his hand. He held them out to me and placed them in my hand, closing my fingers around them. "Aspirin helps." he said.

"Thanks," I mumbled, stepping away with barely a glance at him. Grabbing a glass of water, I went to sit at the table in the corner of the kitchen. Damon messed around with something on the counter for a second then came to join me at the table, setting a mug of coffee in front of me. I looked up at him.

"Coffee also helps," he explained, taking the seat opposite me. He sipped from his own mug.

After the pills were successfully swallowed I reached for the coffee and took a big gulp. It was hot and burned my tongue but it tasted so good I didn't care. I took another gulp. And then I started to feel nauseas. I quickly set the mug of coffee on the table and pushed it away like it was poison. I covered my mouth and debated making a run for the bathroom.

"I think I'm gonna throw up," I mumbled between my fingers. Damon's amused smile slipped from his face, replaced by a sympathetic frown.

"That would also be the hangover," he informed me. "Give it a second. Hopefully it will pass."

It took more than a second. But eventually the nausea finally did subside. I nearly ran for the sink several times, though.

"You should eat something," Damon said, starting to stand. "Maybe a piece of bread. Some crackers…,"

"I don't think I could."

"Trust me, it'll help. You just have to force it down." He dug in one of the drawers on the island and pulled out a package of saltines. He retook his place across from me and placed the crackers on the table. He continued to insist until I finally ate one.

"This isn't your first time with a hangover, is it?" he asked, eyes curious.

"No," I answered quickly. "Of course not. It's just…been a while."

"How long is 'a while'?"

"High school."

"Damn, Lena." Damon whistled. "You really are better than everyone."

I rolled my eyes. "You're hilarious. Ha-ha."

"Who says I was joking? I haven't gone a week without some form of alcohol since I was seventeen."

"Wow, your liver must be dead."

He shrugged. "The price I pay."

"Um, no." I sat up straighter. My head pinged a little but it was way better than it had been before. The meds must've been kicking in. "How about you stop drinking. Make a pact to be a healthier you. I'll do it too."

"You just said you don't drink."

"I said I don't drink enough to get hung-over. There's a difference."

He pretended to pick wax out of his ear. "I'm pretty sure I'm not hearing you right, because there is no way you are asking me to give up the one good thing in my life."

"Um, how about your daughter?" I reminded him. "I think she qualifies as _the best _thing in your life."

"I was joking, Elena. Mostly. I'm not going to quit drinking."

"Fine," I relented, leaning back in my chair. That was a long shot, anyway. Just figured I'd give it a try. "How about you stop drinking so much, then? A sip here and there is fine. You're obviously capable of it."

"What would make you think that?"

"The fact that you're not crippled with a headache right now."

He shrugged. "That's called building a tolerance. I was only slightly less wasted than you last night."

"I don't believe you," I frowned. "I know you stopped after the champagne. And I'm pretty sure I drank most of that." Not something I should really be flaunting.

Damon chuckled. "You did like that, didn't you? Is it the bubbles?" he asked, his eyes glinting with amusement. He didn't give me time to answer before he continued, "You're a fun drunk. I'd take you out with me more if I didn't have to worry about other guys stealing you away. They surrounded you like bees to honey."

Funny, I'd only noticed the one guy. Huh.

Also funny how he didn't realize that something couldn't be stolen if it didn't belong to you. And I most definitely did not belong to him.

I leaned forward, resting my arms on the table, and peeled the sunglasses away from my eyes. Luckily, they weren't nearly as light sensitive as they had been. I set the glasses aside and was able to look Damon in the eye for the first time this morning.

"Damon, about what happened-" I cut off mid-sentence when Damon reached over and started to trail a finger up and down my forearm. My skin tingled and I jerked back. "Stop that."

"You liked it when I touched you last night."

"I think we've established that I was very, very drunk."

Damon leaned back, his hands falling to his lap. I opened my mouth to talk again but then my words really sunk in. I was very drunk. I wouldn't have stopped. That meant-

"You stopped," I said, my eyes widening as my brain tried to process the thought. "You didn't- I was vulnerable and you didn't take advantage of me." I hated that I was so genuinely surprised, but…I was. Damon didn't say anything, just watched me with calm eyes. "Why?"

"I'm not one for rape, Elena."

"Of course not. That's not what I meant." Because, oh, you better believe I'd been consenting.

Damon sighed, but his eyes never left me. "I want it to be real." he said, "When it happens you're going to be sober, and you're going to be positive that it's what you want."

"You're that confident?"

The intensity of his gaze made me want to crawl into a hole.

The kitchen door swung open and Stefan stumbled into the kitchen. He looked still half asleep. He made a beeline for the coffeepot and didn't acknowledge us until after he took a huge gulp.

"Hey guys," he waved and then disappeared back out the kitchen door. I wasn't sure whether I was mad at him or grateful that he'd interrupted our conversation.

I glanced over at Damon the same time he looked at me. "Is Missy still asleep?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"I should probably go check on her." I stood and started to make my way toward the exit. I turned around when I reached the door. "By the way," I said, "Next time I get to pick what we do."

Damon tried to look unaffected by my words but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. I waited until I was out of the kitchen before I smiled too.


	17. Chapter 17

The next week was almost…normal. Damon and I didn't fight near as much _and_ he managed to keep his hands to himself most of the time. He still teased and flirted, and made dirty jokes but that was just who he was. We got to a place where I felt…comfortable around him. I found myself liking his company as opposed to dreading it. He seemed almost mellow compared to when I'd first met him. I liked it. A lot.

Stefan's barley been at the house lately. I used to hate it when he wasn't around because that meant I was left alone with Damon…but now I didn't mind it so much.

I didn't have to work tonight so I decided to curl up with a book on the couch. Missy was already asleep in her crib upstairs - I had a baby monitor sitting on the coffee table in front of me. Damon had left a little while ago to get some more diapers at the store. I normally did that but he'd offered this time so I decided, why not. I'd wanted him to take on more responsibility. But I was starting to regret it as the clock ticked past an hour. How long did it take to get some diapers?

Just as I had the thought, I heard the front door open. Moments later, Damon stepped around the corner, a plastic bag in his hand. He held it up for me to see.

"Do you know how many brands of these things there are?" he asked, tossing it onto the coffee table.

"That's what took so long?"

"Yeah. Why? You miss me?" He wiggled his eyebrows and sat beside me on the couch.

"I don't know what to do with myself when you're not here," I said sarcastically. Damon smirked and I poked him in the arm. "Seriously, you could have texted me or something."

"I did."

"What?" I grabbed my phone and flipped it open. There it was: one text from Damon Salvatore. "Oh. Whoops."

"That thing is ancient. You should really get a new phone."

"I will as soon as the money magically appears in my bank account." I had been planning on getting a new phone before I moved into the Salvatore house, but then I started picking up some of Missy's expenses and it just wasn't possible anymore.

"You don't have to work tonight?"

"Nope." I absently stretched my legs across his lap and wiggled my shoulders into the pillow at my back. "I'm relaxing tonight." I said, holding my book up for him to see.

"You're not going to try to sleep? You know, at night, when you're supposed to..." His fingers began to make their way up my thigh.

"Can't. That would screw up my schedule. I need to be able to sleep some tomorrow before I go back to work." I glanced down at his hand now resting on my leg. "So, this is going to keep me entertained tonight," I indicated the book again.

"I can think of other things we could do to keep you up all night…"

I leaned forward enthusiastically and inquired, "Ooh, like what? A movie night?"

Damon snickered at my teasing and leaned toward me, our noses nearly touching. My eyes flickered to his lips and I unconsciously licked mine.

"You're making it very hard not to kiss you right now," he said softly, reaching to caress my cheek with his hand. For a second I caught myself leaning into his touch. I jerked away and backed up, removing my legs from his lap.

"You're right," I said, shaking my head. I needed to be more careful. "Sorry."

"I'm not complaining." He reached over, grabbed my legs and pulled me back onto his lap. My mouth nearly touched his from the sudden movement.

"Damon-"

"I know, I know," he said, annoyed. "I'm just touching you. There's nothing wrong with that." One of his hands moved over my leg and up my side. I sucked in a breath and he smiled.

"Actually, it's called sexual harassment."

"It's not harassment if you like it."

"I don't-" His thumb brushed the underside of my breast and, even though his hand was on top of my shirt, I couldn't breathe for a few seconds. I regretted my decision not to wear a bra today.

"Damn it, stop that!" I yelled, shoving his hand away. He smirked and I wanted to kiss it off of his lips so bad it almost hurt.

"I don't think you mean that," he said confidently. "You don't want me to stop. And, for whatever reason, that scares you."

"You have it all figured out then, don't you?" I snapped, crossing my arms.

He shrugged. "You're not that difficult to read." I glowered at him, but it didn't seem to phase him. "What I can't figure out is why you keep pushing me away."

"Are you serious?" I swung my legs around and pulled myself to my feet. This was _not_ a conversation to have while sitting in his _lap_.

"I'm as serious as serious gets."

"How about you were an asshole when we met," I nearly tripped over the coffee table as I hurried to put more distance between us.

"I don't see how that has to do with anything _now_," He stood himself. "But if it helps, I'm sorry I was an asshole and probably will be again in the future. Anything else?"

"It wouldn't work." I shook my head.

He crossed the room and stopped in front of me. "Why. Not?"

"We're too different,"

"That's a bullshit excuse."

"It's a reasonable excuse."

"So you admit it _is_ an excuse,"

I threw my hands in the air and moved to step around him. "Wow, I'm done with this conversation."

Damon sighed, sounding frustrated. "Wait, Elena," he said. I stopped, and hesitantly turned to face him. "I said I'd leave you alone and I'm going to do it. I'm sorry. I'll try harder."

We were quiet for a few moments. I didn't know exactly what to say. So I found myself looking from his face to the floor several times. His eyes were almost pleading, but I wasn't sure why. It couldn't be that big of a deal that I not stay mad at him, right? He never cared before, why would he now?

"Do you want to…watch a movie or something?" I said quietly, laying out a peace offering. Damon tried not to smile, but a small one slipped through.

"Sure,"

I grabbed my laptop from out of my room and plopped down on the couch next to Damon. I made sure to keep a safe distance between us and centered the laptop on the coffee table so that we could both see it. I'd chosen my collection of Die Hard DVDs for us to watch, which Damon snickered at.

"What?" I said defensively.

"Nothing," he said, fighting back his smile. "I shouldn't even be surprised."

"Whatever, blue eyes," I waved him off and settled into the couch as I hit play.

I felt awkward sitting in the middle of the couch. Probably because I was very aware of Damon sitting only a foot away from me. I wanted to curl into his side, have him wrap his arm around me, turn my head up and kiss his neck, his jaw, and then, slowly, his lips…

I wrapped my arms around myself and tried my best to focus on the movie. Doing the quick math in my head, equating each movie to around two hours with there being four of them, I figured that this was going to be at least an eight hour marathon. _Great choice, Elena. _I thought sarcastically.

I made it through three and a half of the movies before my eyes started to droop and a yawn escaped my lips. I don't remember laying down, or falling asleep, but I do remember waking up briefly to the sensation of being lifted. I kept my eyes closed and moaned a little, then buried my face against something warm and hard. Someone mumbled something, I don't think it was me. And then I drifted off again.


	18. Chapter 18

AN: I think this is actually my favorite chapter so far. :)

* * *

Stefan was AWOL again the next week. And then again the week after that. I was starting to get worried he'd joined a gang or something.

Damon said not to worry about it - he really didn't seem to care where his little brother spent his time. But he seemed to care _a lot_ about what I did with mine.

I'm not kidding when I use the phrase 'glued to my hip'. It wasn't all his fault though, I was a guilty party too. If he wasn't with me, I found myself looking for him. We spent most of our down time together; talking, reading (he liked to snatch the book out of my hands and start reading a random passage aloud), or sometimes we just sat next to each other quietly, enjoying the silence.

It was weird feeling so attached to someone - because, I'd realized recently, we _were_ attached to each other, oddly enough. And it wasn't the way I felt attached to Missy, that was different. This was different. I had an inkling of what it could be, but I always shoved that thought away, burying it in the recesses of my mind. Because I shouldn't be feeling that way.

"_Come what sorrow can,_" Damon read, his voice velvety smooth,"_It cannot countervail the exchange of joy, That one short minute gives me in her sight. Romeo and Juliet,_" Damon wrinkled his forehead, looking at the page. "Shakespeare? Seriously?"

"It's a collection of the best quotes from his work," I informed him.

"And you're reading it?"

I shrugged. "Why not?" And, admittedly, I may have picked it because I suspected he would steal my book again, and I _may_ have wanted to hear what poetry sounded like from his lips.

Damon eyed me for a second, then turned back to the page. "_She loved me for the dangers I had passed, And I loved her that she did pity them. Othello,_"

Oh, yeah, the verdict was in: It sounded pretty damn sexy.

"Seriously, why can't you read Fifty Shades of Grey or something? That would be _so_ much more interesting," he complained.

I turned blood red just thinking about it.

"I think Caroline has the series if you want me to borrow them for you…" I was completely joking. Lord knows I didn't want him getting any ideas.

"You should read them. Maybe it would get you in the mood…" He raised his eyebrows, a smirk on his face, and I blushed.

"You're hilarious," I said sarcastically, then leaned forward and tapped the book still in his hands. "Read another one,"

Damon's eyes cut to me, amused, then he flipped the page of the book and read the one from the top. "_For where thou art, there is the world itself, And where thou art not, desolation. Henry IV._

"_I'll make my heaven in a lady's lap. Henry IV,_" Damon's lips quirked mischievously and I sat up quickly.

"Don't you dare," I said before he could even open his mouth again.

"But there's so much begging to be said," he whined.

"I forbid you to taint Shakespeare with your dirty thoughts," I said sternly. Damon frowned, but his eyes were playful.

"Sure, Lena."

I settled back down into the couch and closed my eyes. A small sigh passed my lips.

"_Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love. Hamlet,_" Damon's voice slowed halfway through the quote, somehow becoming deeper. I opened my eyes when he stopped to find him staring intently at the page. I almost said something, but thought otherwise and bit my tongue. After a minute, Damon's intense gaze shifted over to me, and he caught me watching him. I felt my cheeks turn red. He held my eyes for so long I thought he was going to try to kiss me, but then he abruptly turned back to the book and continued on down the page.

"_Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds-_"

A high-pitched laugh filled the room and I almost fell off the couch I jumped so high. I looked at Damon first - he shared my confused expression - then peeked over the side of the couch.

I was surprised to see Stefan standing at the bottom of the stairs - I hadn't heard him come in. I was even more surprised to see him making out with a tall, blond girl. I grimaced at the sight, my stomach twisting from disappointment. I glanced at Damon, sheepishly, for some reason, but he wasn't watching Stefan make out with the blond; he was watching me. He offered me a sympathetic look.

It felt like it took ten minutes for Stefan to notice us sitting there. And that was only when Damon cleared his throat.

"Oh, hey guys," Stefan blushed. He turned and grabbed the blond's hand, tugging her forward. "This is Lexi," he said. "My girlfriend." I expected that to sting more than it did. Maybe because it was hardly a revelation. "Lexi, this is my brother Damon, and my friend Elena,"

Lexi waved politely, and I returned it. Damon didn't acknowledge her until I tapped him with my foot. Even then he only nodded in her direction.

"Been busy, baby bro?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. I wasn't sure why his voice sounded accusatory. Maybe I imagined it.

Stefan blushed again, smiling brightly, but he didn't answer. I'm not sure he knew _what_ to answer. Things were quiet and slightly awkward for a minute before Lexi leaned up next to Stefan and whispered something in his ear.

"Right," he said and started pulling her toward the stairs. "See you guys later!" he called at us back over his shoulder.

"Any chance they're going to go paint each other's nails?" I joked quietly, looking over at Damon. From the way he was looking at me, I was under no false pretences that he believed I hadn't been affected by what we'd just seen.

He didn't say anything at first, then, "My brother's an idiot."

"No, he's not," I said softly. "Maybe she's his soulmate. You never know. He looked pretty happy to me."

"You believe in soulmates?"

I shrugged, wrapping my arms around myself. "I don't _not_ believe in them. Who am I to say something doesn't exist when I don't have any proof otherwise?"

Damon considered that for a moment. "That's a valid point." He stood, and stepped in front of me. "I still think he's an idiot." He held out a hand to me and I stared at it questioningly. "Let's go watch a movie," he clarified. "Your choice."

I smiled despite myself and took his hand. "You're just saying that because you know I have awesome taste."

"When the lady's right, she's right. We're not watching it down here this time though. I can't sit on that couch any longer,"

"Then where?"

"My room. Where else? I've even got a big flat-screen TV. Perfect for movie watching." He tugged on my hand but I held back.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Damon's room was where Damon's bed was. And Damon's bed was where…stuff happened.

"I'm positive it's an excellent idea," he replied, then frowned when he saw the weariness in my eyes. "Don't make me have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you, Lena."

I scoffed. "Ha! I'd like to see you tr-"

Damon hoisted me into the air as easily as he would a feather. My stomach lay across his shoulder and my chin nearly grazed his back. He held onto my legs to keep me from falling. I tried not to let out an "Oof," as he started running up the stairs.

"Damon Salvatore, I am _so _going to kill you!" I yelled, smacking him on the back with my hand. I couldn't hold back a laugh, though. And once it came I couldn't stop. Not until Damon successfully deposited me on his bed.

Missy started whining in her crib, and Damon moved to grab her next. He handed her to me on the bed and asked me what movie I wanted to watch.

"Um," I thought. "well, Missy's up now so it should probably be something she can watch too…"

"She's six months old," Damon said, "I doubt she even understands what's going on most of the time."

"I bet she understands a lot more than you think," I snuggled Missy close to my chest. "I think I have a copy of Finding Nemo on my dresser in my room," I started to get up to go get it but Damon stopped me and went to find it himself.

I immediately knew he'd gotten into something he wasn't supposed to when he came back with a mischievous look on his face.

"Oh, no," I groaned. "What did you do?"

He pulled something out from behind his back and spread it out for me to see.

It was my 'Got Breasts?' t-shirt.

"How have I never seen this?" he asked, grinning.

"You have, actually," I informed him smugly. "You were drunk."

"Damn." he said, "The one time alcohol's failed me." He looked down at the shirt. "There's just so much I could say about this I don't even know where to start."

I rolled my eyes, biting back a smile. "How about where you found it. Were you snooping in my drawers?"

"I may have taken a peek…"

I threw a pillow at him, which he dodged. "Pervert." I said, playfully. "Did you find the movie or not?"

"I got it," He tossed the shirt aside and pulled the movie from where it was tucked in the back of his pants. Once he had the movie started he joined me and Missy on the bed and stretched out beside us. He leaned against a pillow, resting his hands behind his head.

"So this is about fish?" he inquired.

For some very odd reason that question put me at ease. I relaxed beside him, sinking further into the bed. I had to admit it was definitely better than sitting on the couch.

"Yes," I answered.

"Talking fish?"

"Yes. Talking fish."


	19. Chapter 19

"I can't go," I said.

"Why not?" Caroline whined.

"I told you why not. I have to work."

"Well, take off! Say it's an emergency!"

"It's a Halloween party, Care. That's hardly an emergency." I began to wipe down the empty bar in front of me. It was slow tonight, not a lot of people. I was willing to bet everybody was saving up for Halloween.

"But it's going to be the best party of the year! You remember how crazy college kids are! Remember when those seniors threw all of the dean's furniture out the window? Well it's supposed to be better than that this year!"

"Yeah, those were a bunch of geniuses." I snickered. "Bet they really did something with their lives."

"Says the girl working at a bar in boring Mystic Falls."

Ouch. Touché.

"I still can't go." I took a seat on a stool I kept underneath the bar. Figured I should rest my legs while there was no one around.

"That's not fair," Caroline pouted. "You're going to make me go without my best friend."

"I'm not making you go. You can stay here and keep me company if you want." I almost laughed at my own suggestion. I knew what her answer would be, and I was right on point.

"Honey, until I'm married with a child I will be hitting up these parties like a bat hits a baseball." She flipped a piece of hair behind her shoulder.

"Is Matt going with you?" I asked, grabbing my bottle of water and taking a sip.

Caroline averted her eyes for a second, then sat up straighter and said, "No, actually. Matt and I are over."

Can't say I was really surprised, but I did my best to act like I was for my friend's sake. "I'm sorry, Care." I said, sympathetically. "What happened?"

"Nothing really," she said, lifting her shoulders lightly. "I mean, we were kinda doomed from the start. We're too different."

"How so?"

"Well, I'm lively and outspoken and dramatic, and he's…"

"Not?"

"Exactly."

I shifted on my stool, trying to get more comfortable. "Sometimes different is good. It balances you out." I shifted again. Honestly, I wasn't sure whether it was the stool making me uncomfortable or the conversation. Struck a little close to home.

"Yeah, I know," she sighed. "But, I just- There wasn't that…connection, you know? Plus I think he's still hung up on you."

I was in the middle of taking another sip of water when she spoke and successfully choked on it. "I'm sorry. What?" I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

She shrugged.

"I doubt that's true, Caroline. We broke up a long time ago. And it was mutual!" There was no way Matt still had feelings for me. We'd barley talked in years.

"Puh-lease." Caroline said. "You were the one who sunk that ship and you know it. You two would be married right now if it'd been up to him."

I shook my head. "That's ridiculous."

"And that's denial. But you think whatever you want." She waved me off. "Now about the party-"

"Caroline, I can't-"

"I was thinking of going as Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Do you want to be the crazy cat, or the Mad Hatter?"

I sighed and looked down at the bar, shaking my head. Sometimes I was pretty sure Caroline didn't take me seriously when I spoke. It was annoying, but that was Caroline.

"Hey, April!" I looked up as soon as Caroline screeched the girl's name. April jumped about three feet in the air. She looked over hesitantly at Caroline.

"Yeah?" she said.

"You doing anything for Halloween?"

"No…" April's eyes were wide as saucers. She looked like a spooked deer.

"Great!" Caroline clapped her hands. "Elena needs you to take her shift."

"Caroline!" I leaned over and whacked her on the arm. She waved me off, eyeing April down. April was incredibly shy, and Caroline intimidated the heck out of her.

"Okay…" she finally answered and glanced over at me. "I get the pay, right?"

"Actually-" Caroline began.

"Of course!" I assured her. This time I yanked hard on Caroline's hair. She cried out in pain and turned to snap at me with her teeth. April was gone when I looked back up.

And then I realized I'd just unwittingly agreed to go to the stupid party.

"So," Caroline grinned, looking smug. "Crazy cat or Mad Hatter?"

"Why are we friends?" I asked.

"Because I'm awesome and you love me."

"Oh, right." I smacked myself on the forehead. "That's it."

* * *

"Mad Hatter, definitely."

I looked over at Damon stretched out on his bed. His eyes watched me lazily and his lips spread into a small grin. I looked down at the costumes I held in my hands, wondering what he saw that I clearly didn't. Wouldn't you know it, Caroline had already had both costumes out in her car. She'd sent me home with them to decide which one I wanted to wear. I swear I stared at them for twenty minutes before finally deciding to get a second opinion. And Damon had given his within twenty seconds of me stepping into his room.

"Why's that?"

"Although I think you'd look pretty damn cute as a sexy cat, you'd have to wear purple. And purple's not your color."

I tried not to take offence at that, instead asking, "Oh, yeah? Well, what is 'my color' then?"

He didn't miss a beat. "Red's nice. Blue… That black dress was killer." He paused, seeming to think about that for a moment. I rolled my eyes. "On second thought," he said and I looked back up at him. "Wear the purple."

"What? Why? You just said it didn't look good on me."

"I didn't say you didn't look good in it. I said it's not your best color." he corrected. I nodded with an "Ah," like it all made sense now. Damon ignored my sarcasm. He continued, "And that's what you need. It'll be difficult, but we've got to do what we can to make you less attractive. Unless you want to be hit on and/or groped by every male at the party." He grimaced at the thought. "I used to be one of them. Trust me, we're pigs."

I gasped. "You went to college?"

"That was before I realized I didn't give a shit what my father thought about me."

I shook my head softly, a small smile forming on my lips. I tossed the costumes on the edge of the bed and crawled up next to him, sitting with my legs crossed.

"I could just go naked," I suggested. "That would turn some heads. I could say I'm Eve. Would probably win best costume too."

Damon didn't laugh at my joke. "The only place you're allowed to be naked is in the confines of this room." He tugged on the edge of my shirt and I swatted his hand away.

"Duly noted," I said sarcastically. "And just so you know, the only time you're ever going to see me naked is never."

Damon merely cocked an eyebrow. "We'll see."

I crossed my arms. "Sometimes your arrogance is annoying- No. All the time. It's annoying all the time."

"There's a fine line between arrogance and confidence, Lena."

I shoved him with my foot, and then looked over to make sure Missy was still asleep in her crib before I muttered, "Asshole."

He closed his eyes and shrugged lightly, unaffected. I tucked some hair behind my ear. My eyes flickered from his face to my lap and then back.

"Hey, um," I said, timidly. "Do you…want to go?"

Damon's eyes opened and he looked over at me. He didn't say anything for several seconds, and then, "Someone has to watch Missy,"

Oh. Right. She couldn't exactly go to a Halloween party. Or stay home alone.

And then I had a thought.

"I could ask my friend Bonnie to watch her…" I suggested. "She's great with kids. Has two of her own."

Damon pretended to think about it, rubbing his chin. "I don't know…" he said. "Last time we went somewhere together I distinctly remember getting yelled at. And then nearly molested later. You're very bipolar."

My cheeks turned red and I narrowed my eyes. "I withdraw my invitation."

Damon smirked and then closed his eyes again. "When do we leave?"


	20. Chapter 20

"Damn." Damon said, eyeing my costume. He grabbed my hand and spun me around. "I knew you'd make a cute Mad Hatter." His eyes lingered on the shortness of the plaid, pink skirt. The top was a red blazer that cut off mid stomach, right where the skirt began. A yellow bow tie hung around my neck, leaking down into my cleavage, which is another place I caught Damon's eyes lingering. And, of course, to complete the outfit, a small red top hat was pinned in my hair.

I rolled my eyes but couldn't suppress a grin. "Thanks. And you're a very dashing…" My eyes skimmed over his dark ensemble, pausing briefly at his fitted jeans. I felt a blush start to creep up my neck and looked back up to his face. "Um, what are you, exactly?"

"Vampire, duh. See the cape?" He tugged on a piece of black fabric hanging around his shoulders, then pulled a pair of plastic teeth out of his pocket and popped them in his mouth. "And the fangs," he mumbled around the plastic teeth. It was nearly unintelligible.

I couldn't _not_ laugh.

"Very original," I joked, giving his cape a tug. Damon gave me a fang-filled grin then pulled the teeth out of his mouth.

"It was either this or your kitten costume. It's impossible to find anything in stores the day before Halloween."

"I think you made the right call." I said, patting his arm. "We should go. I told Caroline we'd meet her there at eleven."

Caroline hadn't been too thrilled when I told her I'd invited Damon, but she'd gotten over it when I threatened not to go at all. She also wasn't happy that I was going to be riding with Damon. I'd offered for her to join us but she said, "There's no way in hell I'm going to spend an hour in a confined space with Captain Jackass."

I balanced myself on my red pumps and started for the door.

"Lena, wait," Damon said, following close behind. I pulled the front door open and turned to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"These things can get pretty crazy," he said, "Don't drink anything unless you get it yourself or I give it to you. You'd be surprised how many idiots think it's okay to drug someone."

"I've been to college parties before." I said, a little annoyed. I wasn't a toddler.

"Nevertheless. I want you to be cautious."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, _Dad_."

Damon grimaced. "Please don't call me that."

"What? You don't like the title?"

"It's completely different coming from you than it would be from Missy. And being that I'd like to rip that little costume off your body and ravage you against a wall, I'd say _Dad_ is not an appropriate term."

I'd looked away the moment he'd mentioned the whole 'ripping clothes' part. I swallowed and turned toward the door.

"Okay," I said, "Let's go."

The party was in one of the frat houses on campus. People from the ages of 18 to 30 crowded the house, dancing to loud music, drinking beer and gossiping in corners. There was a keg stand out front; several guys were giving that a go, though none of them were able to stay up longer than a few seconds. Damon suggested that they get the cheerleaders to help them. He received fake laughter and a few middle fingers in return. There was already a fight going on in the back of the room as soon as we stepped inside the house. Two blond girls were yanking each other's hair and yelling "Bitch!" repeatedly. I did a quick check to make sure neither of them was Caroline.

Of course, my blond friend wasn't here yet. Why show up on time? It was only her idea to come to this party.

"Caroline's not here," I said aloud, my voice leaking annoyance. Damon dropped a hand around my waist and pulled me into the dancing throng of people.

"We don't need her to have fun," he said. He grabbed my hand and spun me around several times, then pulled me up against his chest. I stared up at him a little dizzy, my fingers gripping his shirt for support. Before I knew it he had me dancing, and I was laughing because it was fun. Sober fun. Not like last time.

"You're a good dancer," I commented, and then I wished I could suck it back in. He didn't need anything to fuel his ego.

"Lena, I've got moves you've never seen," He smirked, then spun me around and dipped me. Our lips almost touched when he brought me back up. My hands rested on his chest, one of his was on my back, the other moved to caress my cheek.

My treacherous eyes fell to his lips and I had to concentrate on taking even breaths.

"Elena!"

Damon scowled and glanced over at Caroline pushing through the crowd of people to get to us.

"I think I know who my first victim is going to be," he grumbled, releasing me when I pulled away.

"What are you supposed to be?" Caroline said snidely as she stopped in front of us, eyeing him. "A magician?"

"Suck it, Blondie," Damon growled. "Oh, wait. You already have."

Caroline fumed, and I looked down at the ground, mortified. He did _not_ just say that.

"You son of a bit-"

"Can you guys stop, please?" I said. "We're here. Let's get along."

"Whatever." Caroline huffed. Crossing her arms, she glared at Damon.

"I'm getting something to drink," Damon said suddenly. He looked over at me. "You want anything?"

I shook my head.

"Yeah, I'll have a beer," Caroline called after him as he walked away. "Thanks for asking!" She let out a frustrated breath then turned back to me and smiled. "You look cute," she said. "But I can't believe you didn't go for the cat. Who gets the chance to be a sexy cat and doesn't take it?"

"It was a crazy cat." I corrected her.

"A crazy, _sexy_ cat. Come on, Elena. Adult costume." She picked at the poof of my skirt.

"I was feeling this one more," I said and shrugged. She eyed me suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

"Damon liked this one more, didn't he?" she asked.

I gaped at her and sputtered, "Uh, no. He told me to wear the other one, actually."

"Liar."

"Nope." He _did_ tell me to wear the other one… Just after he told me he liked this one better. So, yea, half truths.

"What's the deal with you two?" Caroline asked, crossing her arms. "I barley see you anymore. Except at work."

"You know I'm helping take care of Missy." I said.

"Yeah, but that wouldn't take up _all _of your time." She paused like she expected me to say something, but I just shrugged. "Okay, whatever. What about what was going on when I got here?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please. Matt never held you like that." she said, hands moving to her hips. Her blue skirt swayed as someone brushed past her.

"Matt and Damon are two _very_ different people. Damon's more…passionate. That doesn't mean there's anything going on between us."

"Bull freaking shit." She flipped some hair over her shoulder and sighed. "But, whatever. Keep it from your best friend. You know, it doesn't hurt…much." She wiped at the undersides of her eyes like she might cry.

"Care, I swear if something was going on between me and Damon you would be the first one I'd tell." I assured her.

She considered that for moment and then smiled brightly. "Great!"

I rolled my eyes and smiled softly. She'd worked that promise out of me pretty easily. Not that I was worried I'd ever have to uphold it. There was never anything going to happen between me and Damon, even if he thought otherwise.

Some guy bumped into Caroline again and she whirled around, defense levels high. "What the fudge, buddy?! Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, sweetheart," the guy said in a sweet British accent. He smiled at Caroline and I saw the moment she melted into a giant, girly puddle.

"Oh, don't worry about it," she said, waving a hand. "No biggie." She put on a bright smile of her own and reached up to twirl a piece of her hair. "I'm Caroline." she said.

"Nicklaus," the guy said, extending a hand. Caroline took it, and then he brought her hand to his lips. "Everyone calls me Klaus."

"Klaus," Caroline repeated, dragging out the S. "That's a sexy name."

I blushed for her, because clearly she had no shame.

Klaus chuckled. "Would you like to get a drink?" he asked her. Caroline was nodding before he even finished his sentence. He chuckled again.

"See you later, Elena!" She said over her shoulder as Klaus pulled her away by the hand.

"Wait, Caroline!"

And then I was alone. Great. And I'd even brought a backup knowing that there was a good chance of Caroline ditching me. Where the hell was Damon? Was I the only one who abided by the buddy system?

I crossed my arms and nervously began to look around. There were a lot of people here. I was suddenly overwhelmed by the need for a drink. If I was going to have to stand here alone I'd say I deserved one.

"Hey,"

I spun around and came face to face with some guy looking to be in his early twenties. He was a tad pudgy, and kinda short. I opened my mouth to tell him I wasn't interested but he extended a hand, holding a cup out to me.

"Want a drink?" he asked.

"No, thanks," I said and started to turn away.

"How about a dance?" the guy asked. I inwardly groaned.

"Um, actually, I'm here with someone," My eyes started skimming the crowd to make my point, but when I glanced back at the guy he was still there.

"Oh. That's okay," he said and looked down at the ground momentarily. For a second I kinda felt bad for the guy. Who knows how many girls he'd walked up to and gotten shot down. He looked up and held the drink out to me again. "You sure you don't want a drink?" He wiggled it in front of me and I saw the briefest of grins form on his face. _Yeah, right. _I thought. I eyed the red cup he held in his hand and debated taking it from him just to throw it at him.

"Why don't you drink it?" a masculine voice said from behind me. I fought back a smile as Damon stepped beside me and wrapped an arm protectively around my waist.

"Excuse me?" the pudgy guy said.

"I said," Damon sneered. "why don't you drink it. You look parched."

Pudgy Guy looked nervously at Damon as the caped vampire glared at him. He started to take a step back but Damon grabbed the cup out of his hand and threw the drink in Pudgy Guy's face.

"Get the hell out of here." Damon growled. Pudgy Guy probably moved faster than he ever had in his life.

"I had that handled," I told Damon, shaking his hand away from my waist.

"Didn't seem like it." he stated, turning his glaring eyes on me.

"Well, I did."

It was really starting to piss me off at how angry he looked. It's not like I was going to actually drink it.

"I'm not stupid, Damon. So can you please stop acting like I asked that guy to come over here and try to drug me?" I placed my hands on my hips.

"I'm not mad at you, Lena." he sighed, but his muscles were still tense as he looked at me.

"Well it sure seems like it." I said, crossing my arms. Now I was glaring at him. "It's ridiculous, anyway. You're acting like a-" I stopped and shook my head, frustrated.

"Like a what?" he asked in a challenging voice. I looked over at him, my eyes hard.

"Like an overprotective boyfriend. Which we both know you're _not _my boyfriend, and you never will be." The words flowed out like a river, but then stung like knives as I realized how bitchy I sounded.

Damon's eyes were filled with hurt for a brief second and then, like a switch, they flipped to anger. I tried to backtrack, "Damon, I-" But without a word he turned and stormed away.

I regretted the words the moment I'd spoken them. They were uncalled for, unnecessary. And now I hated myself. I always got so angry with Damon so easily, and then I'd say things I shouldn't. Even if I believed them to be true.


	21. Chapter 21

Damon didn't come home that night. I searched for what felt like hours for him at the party before I finally decided he'd ditched me. Caroline had somehow disappeared too, leaving me without a ride. Luckily, I'd somehow managed to stumble across Stefan and Lexi and they'd been kind enough to give me a ride home. I was extremely exhausted by the time I got back to the house, but that didn't mean I could sleep. I laid there on my bed for the rest of the night, tossing and turning. I crawled out of bed at seven with a mild headache.

Damon finally came home shortly after I padded out of my room. I'd been making my way down the stairs when he came around the corner, a skinny dark headed blond girl on his arm.

I thought I felt like crap earlier.

The sight hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I almost had to sit down, but instead gripped the railing tightly.

Andie was nice. Nicer than any of the other girls Damon had brought home. She was a newscaster for Mystic Falls; she'd been at the party last night doing a piece on the combination of alcohol and college students. Hence, where Damon had been. They met the first time he'd gone off to get a drink, then he'd run back to her after our fight. Of course he didn't explain it that way but I could read between the lines.

Andie was nice. Maybe I would have liked her, but I couldn't get past the sick feeling I felt in my stomach every time Damon smiled at her.

It wasn't like this when Stefan brought Lexi home. I'd just felt…disappointed. Like when you find out your favorite celebrity is dating someone. You knew you never had a chance anyway, but you're still a tiny bit sad.

But this thing with Damon… It was damn near depressing. I wanted to eat a pint of Rocky Road and contemplate what I was doing with my life. For the first time I thought…maybe I made the wrong decision pushing him away.

I knew going to that party had been a bad idea.

Caroline came around later in the day to see me. She apologized for leaving me stranded and not answering her phone. Then she preceded to tell me about her steamy night with Klaus. Believe me when I say Caroline isn't one to leave out details. The last thing I needed.

After I picked Missy up from Bonnie's I lay up in my room cuddling with her for the rest of the day. I was in some serious need of cuddle time.

Damon and Andie started dating. She came by the house a lot, sometimes stayed the night. I stayed up late watching movies on my laptop those nights (when I didn't have to work). Anything to distract me.

Weeks went by like this. I almost felt like I was on autopilot. Eat, work, sleep, repeat. I had Missy start sleeping with me more. At night I had to work usually, but at nap time during the day we both curled up on my bed and dozed for a few hours. If I managed to get that.

I wasn't sleeping well. I was always tired, nearly exhausted, but I couldn't sleep. I only got a few hours of sleep a day now. It was ridiculous, and I would have been mad at myself if I could feel anything other than an extreme case of despondency.

I was an idiot. I wasn't sure what for, exactly. For feeling the way I did about Damon, or for denying those feelings; for pushing him away. Maybe all of the above.

The whole thing was so _ugh_-worthy.

I was vaguely aware of fingers snapping in front of my face.

"Yo, earth to Elena," Caroline said. She even whistled. I shook my head and reached up to rub my creased forehead.

"Sorry, Care," I mumbled.

"No biggie," She shrugged. "You're the one who came to see me, remember? Believe me when I say I don't mind being pulled away from work. Even if it's to watch you stare blankly at nothing,"

"Oh. Right." I said. I hadn't meant to interrupt her at work. I'd just needed to get away from the house. I couldn't listen to Andie laugh anymore. I just needed to get away and…talk. I'd needed to talk to someone for weeks. "Maybe I should go," I started to stand but Caroline grabbed my arm and yanked me back down into my seat.

"Don't you dare taunt me with the prospect of having an hour off and then leave."

"An hour? Really? You think you can get out of doing anything for that long?"

"Ric likes you," she said, waving her hand. "He knows you wouldn't pull me away unless it was for something important. He won't care."

Alaric Saltzman owned The Mystic Grill. Everyone called him Ric. He was nice; likable. I'd known him since I was in high school. He used to be our History teacher, before he bought the Grill.

"So what's got you all mopey?" Caroline asked, taking a sip from her fountain drink. She made a face. "Blah, why can't we drink on the job again?"

"Because people don't usually like the staff to be intoxicated." I replied stoically.

"People suck. Anyway, back to you. Mopey, why?" She brushed her hair behind her ears, then placed her hands in her lap. "I'm all ears."

"I don't know what's wrong with me," I said, the frustration boiling over. I yanked my hair back into a ponytail. "Okay, I do, but I don't…" I yanked my hair out of the ponytail. "I don't like it."

"Ooh," Caroline perked up, her back straightening. "Someone's sexually frustrated." She wiggled in her seat, a huge smile on her face.

"I'm not-" Well, maybe… "I'm just-" Freaking out. "I don't know," Caroline continued to grin at me. She raised her eyebrows. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I groaned, burying my face in my hands.

"A lil' bit." She indicated with her thumb and pointer finger. "So who's got you all hot down under? Do you have a thing for Stefan again? Please don't tell me it's Damon who you find yourself lying awake picturing naked."

"First of all, I don't do that," Except that one time. "And second…" Wait, what was second? Shit, now I was picturing Damon naked.

"Oh, my Lord, it _is_ Damon, isn't it? I knew something was going on between you two!" Honestly I couldn't tell whether she was excited or angry. I think both. Excited for the gossip on my love life, angry that it revolved around Damon.

"There's nothing going on between Damon and me," I said honestly, slumping my shoulders.

"But you want there to be." Intuitive, she was.

"I don't-" I took a breath and let it out. Talking was hard. "It feels…wrong. That I feel this way. I shouldn't feel this way."

Caroline looked at me sympathetically and placed her hand on mine. "Why's that?"

"It feels…immoral." I really didn't know how else to describe it.

"You're not making any sense."

"I know." I sighed. Care squeezed my hand.

"Elena, you know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah." I said. Of course I knew that. We'd been each other's diaries essentially since kindergarten. We told each other everything. Except for that time she forgot to mention she slept with Damon. Yeah, that stung. For more reasons than one.

"So tell me what's wrong."

I just had to get it out there. I just had to say it and maybe I would feel better. Maybe saying it aloud would reaffirm my belief. And Caroline would agree. I knew she would. She would agree, tell me I was doing the right thing, and I would be okay.

"He was Katherine's boyfriend. I can't…go down that road. What kind of person would that make me?"

Caroline's expression was simultaneously caring and WTF at the same time. For a second her face flickered back and forth between the two, like she was trying to decide which way to go.

"It makes you human, Elena." Caring won, I guess. "But, seriously, what the fudge is that bullshit." Or not…

"Excuse me?" I sat back.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be insensitive, but Katherine is dead. She lost all claim on one Damon Salvatore when she drove herself off Wickery Bridge."

I stared openmouthed at her. That certainly wasn't what I'd expected.

"But she was my sister."

"Look," she continued, "You're basically my sister and you gave me your blessing to date Matt. Same thing."

"She's dead, Caroline. It's not the same thing. She'd probably turn over in her grave if she found out I even admitted…I felt this way."

Caroline groaned, frustrated, then blurted, "She cheated on him all the time, Elena!" She leaned forward in her chair. "He probably cheated on her, too. I don't know. If he did he was more careful than she was. I'd swear Missy wasn't even his if she didn't look so much like him. I've never seen a kid who looked so much like her parents."

My mind swam, my stomach twisted, and I was nearly on the edge of my seat. "How would you know that?" That wasn't something you could go by based on a rumor.

"I used to see her hanging on guys all the time. Kissing. Seriously, I don't know how you never saw her. You two were really good at avoiding each other."

I felt dumbfounded. But I really shouldn't have been surprised. Maybe I wasn't surprised that she would do it in general, but that she would do it to Damon. Sure, the guy was an asshat at first, but once you got to know him and saw his good qualities… Damn it if they didn't outweigh the bad. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never wanted to talk about Katherine. I respected your wishes."

I couldn't speak for a minute. Caroline watched me as I tried to comprehend everything she'd just said. My skin started to heat up, the room becoming suddenly hot. I felt out-of-my-mind mad. _That slut. _I swear my eye even twitched once. But all I managed past my lips was, "Oh."

"Oh? Seriously? _Oh_?" Caroline said. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

"Does Damon know?"

"How would I know that? We're not exactly chummy."

I fell silent again. And then I went back to feeling crappy. How was knowing that supposed to help? It didn't. At all. Except now I felt worse, because Damon had been wronged. By my sister. How freaking fantastic.

"That's not a happy face," Caroline observed, disappointedly. "Look, Elena, you know I don't like the guy. I wouldn't be heartbroken if the thing between the two of you went nowhere," She was talking with her hands, moving them rapidly. "But you've been seriously depressed lately. And I don't like seeing you like that. If it'll make you happy…you should tell Damon how you feel."

I swallowed and looked down. It wasn't that easy. If only it were.

"What?" Caroline groaned.

"He has a girlfriend."

"I know. You think that Andie chick hasn't been in here gossiping about her hot new _boyfriend. _Seriously, you'd think she was dating a prince or something not-" She stopped. I knew she'd been about to say something rude about Damon, but I also knew she cut herself off on my behalf. It was considerate, and I wanted to hug her for it. "Point being, I still think you should go for it. Damon would drop her ass like a hot rock if he thought he had a chance with you. Don't pretend you don't know that's true."

I suspected. But that didn't mean I felt right about it. Stealing someone's boyfriend wasn't something I strived for. And the Katherine thing still bothered me, no matter what Caroline said, she'd dated him first.

I put on a fake smile, though, and leaned forward and gave her a hug. "Thanks, Care." She hugged me back but I could tell from her sigh in my ear that she knew she hadn't convinced me.

"Elena, honey, don't take any offence at this but," she said when she pulled away, "sometime's you're a stubborn dumbass."

I half-laughed, exhaling quickly through my nose. "Awesome pep talk."

"What can I say. Speech was my best class."


	22. Chapter 22

AN: This chapter is a little longer. Hope that's okay... ;)

* * *

I couldn't make myself get excited for Thanksgiving. The closer the holiday got the more dread I felt settle in my bones. I didn't normally have a problem with Thanksgiving. At my house growing up it kinda just came and went each year. Dad was always working so I would just heat up a frozen meal and watch a movie. I went to Caroline's house once - I'll never make that mistake again. Her mom always invites her dad so that they can both spend the holiday with Caroline, and Caroline's dad always brings his boyfriend, which inevitably brings strife along with its friends awkwardness and anxiety. Bonnie was always out of town.

For this year's Thanksgiving Stefan had suggested the four of us - him, me, Damon and Missy - all spend the day together at the house. Lexi had to visit her family and she and Stefan both agreed it was a little soon for him to meet her parents. Same thing for Damon and Andie.

Didn't that just sound peachy? A whole day cushioned in between my past crush and my new one. Fantastic.

"So," I said, plopping down next to Caroline on her bed. She still lived with her mom - not something she was proud of, but it's not like I hadn't been living with a parent until recently, too, so I wasn't one to judge. "remember that time you left me stranded at a Halloween party you forced me to go to?"

"Oh, no," Caroline groaned. "That again." She covered her face with her hands and fell back dramatically onto her bed.

"I think I'm ready to call on that favor you owe me for running off and leaving me without a ride."

"Um, I didn't _intentionally_ leave you alone," she defended herself. "That was the Demon."

Yeah, well, I couldn't really find it in myself to be mad at Damon because the things I'd said were the reason he'd run off. Not that I was mad at Caroline either. I just really needed this favor.

"Nevertheless,"

"Fine. But I don't remember saying I owed you a favor. Just so we're clear." Caroline said, "What is it?"

"I want you to come spend Thanksgiving with us tomorrow."

Caroline perched herself on her arms. "No offence, Elena, but kinda the last thing I want to do is spend the holiday at casa de Salvatore."

"You'd rather spend it with your mom and dad?"

She crinkled her nose. "Good point. Should I bring anything?"

Well, that was easy.

"You don't have to," I shrugged. "Whatever you want to do." I settled down beside her on the bed. She twirled a piece of hair around her finger.

"So, have you told Damon you're madly in love with him yet?"

I rolled my eyes, but that was just to keep her from seeing me blush. "I'm not in love with him." _Lie_, a treacherous little voice in the back of my head whispered. I stomped on that voice.

"Lust, then," Caroline said, "Have you told him you're lusting after him like a horny schoolgirl?"

"No, of course not!"

"Are you determined to be miserable or something?" She rolled onto her side and maliciously poked my boob. "These babies need to come out and play once in a while if you know what I mean."

I made a face at her. "I've told you why I can't be with him."

"Yeah, and they were shitty reasons."

Not to me. I was regretting even mentioning it to her. I hadn't been expecting her to fully understand the situation I was in, just to listen and be supportive. Now every time I saw her she brought it up. And it was never subtle either.

I slid off the bed and made my way for the door. This was probably as good a time as any to leave - a great time, actually. Once she got started on this particular topic she wouldn't drop it until I practically threatened to have her head cut off. And since I wasn't in the threatening mood today…

"Come over around eleven," I told her before saying goodbye and heading out the door.

* * *

"Ah, hell. Who invited Barbie?" Damon looked over his shoulder at me from where he was standing at the opened front door. Caroline scowled at him on the other side. I shrugged innocently.

"Great to see you, too, Salva_whore_," she said snidely, shoving past him into the house. She smiled at me and held up a store-bought apple pie. "I brought dessert!"

"Looks great," I smiled back, taking the pie from her and wrapping and arm around her neck. "Thanks for coming." I whispered into her ear. She gave me a squeeze and then we pulled away.

After I put the pie in the kitchen I came back out into the living room to find Caroline sitting on the couch and Damon perched on the coffee table in front of her. Missy was crawling around in her playpen, smacking around a few toys.

"Where's Stefan?" Caroline asked. "I thought he was supposed to be here."

"He was. Is." Damon answered. "Because this is supposed to be a _family_ thing."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him. "Then it's a good thing Elena's practically my sister. I wouldn't want this to be uncomfortable or anything,"

"Stefan left an hour ago to have brunch with his dad. Apparently he called this morning and insisted they spend at least some of the holiday together. He's going to stop and pick up the food when he heads back." Because, being the strategist he was, Stefan had preordered our meal two weeks ahead of time. It was smart thinking on his part; there was only one restaurant in Mystic Falls that offered a Thanksgiving dinner, plus none of us had wanted to cook it ourselves.

"And you weren't included in that?" Caroline raised an eyebrow at Damon.

"Damon and his dad aren't on the best of terms right now." I answered for him so that he wouldn't have to and prayed that Caroline would understand that it was time to drop that subject.

She got the message. Caroline leaned back, getting comfortable and rested her hands in her lap. "So," she began as I sat down next to her on the couch. "How's it going with your new girlfriend, Damon?" I tensed, positive I wasn't going to like this conversation anymore than the last. I tried to catch Caroline's eye to give her a 'knock it off' look but I think she was purposefully not looking at me.

Damon quirked a brow. "Jealous, Blondie?"

"Terribly." Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'm here for you, big boy, as soon as you decide to dump her candy coated ass."

"Caroline," I warned.

"Joking, Elena. I'd sooner eat my own hand. You have nothing to worry about." she said, misinterpreting me. Or maybe not. Maybe she knew exactly what she was doing.

Damon perked up and I wanted to bury myself beneath the cushions and die. "Worry about what?" he asked. Damn it, from his tone he knew very well 'what'.

"I hear this reporter is skinny as a twig," Caroline went on. "You're not worried she's anorexic or something? That's not healthy. You should probably dump her so she can get the help she needs."

I was about to help Caroline meet an early demise if she didn't move on from this topic.

I reached for my phone and flipped it open. "I wonder how much longer Stefan is going to be…" I pondered. I started to compose a text.

"You know I don't like you, Damon," Caroline said. Damon mumbled a "Likewise," and she continued, "but I hate to see anyone improperly matched. Blonds aren't for you, honey."

I typed faster.

"You would look better with a brunette, tan skin. Would go well with your blue eyes-"

I imagined myself tackling her off of the couch. Instead I sent the text, stood up and abruptly asked, "Hey, Care, you want anything to drink? I'm parched."

"Actually, a beer sounds great, thanks." Apparently she didn't understand she was supposed to come with me. I pinched her leg as I walked by and gave her a look. She sighed and followed me into the kitchen.

After I gave her a firm scolding we headed back out into the living room, a beer in each of our hands. Mine was already half gone. I tossed Damon one and he caught it with one hand.

"Alright, Salvatore," Caroline said, sitting back down on the couch. "your turn to talk. I've been silenced."

Damon spread his arms. "A gift from God."

I snickered and felt beer nearly run out my nose.

"Funny." Caroline said. "You should be a comedian. You know, in Hollywood. As in, far, _far_ away from here." She leaned against the couch and mumbled around a sip of beer, "Would benefit more than just me I'll tell you that."

"What do you guys normally do on Thanksgiving?" I asked Damon at the same time Caroline shot up in her seat and said, "How have I been here half an hour and not held Missy yet?" She sat her beer on the coffee table and ran over to the playpen.

"Nothing," Damon said, answering my question. Then he continued, "Well, okay, I usually go to a bar and get pretty wasted. I have no idea what Stefan usually does. Probably hangs out with friends or something."

"Seriously? You spend Thanksgiving in a bar?" I said in disbelief. Granted, he wasn't the only one. I'd had to work the night of Thanksgiving since I started working at Mystic Grill. But at least everyone who came there had the decency to order the Thanksgiving special along with their liquor. I suspected Damon's dinner usually consisted of Bourbon.

Damon shrugged. "We never really did anything. My father isn't one for celebrating holidays. Well, except for today, apparently." Meaning the brunch with Stefan. I knew that had to have bothered him. Even if he didn't get along with his dad… Favoritism was deplorable. I took a seat next to him (he'd moved to the couch after Caroline had vacated it.)

"I guess I never really did anything either. My dad was always working. And Isabel…well I'm pretty sure I wasn't welcome there. Maybe she and Katherine did something. I like to think that they did. Someone deserved some fun over the holidays." I looked over at Damon and he at me.

"They decorated the house all day," he said, the corner of his lips turning up. "Played Christmas music and baked a turkey. Which, she said they burned every time."

I laughed, and then tears started to prick at my eyes. I don't know why I wanted to cry.

Damon placed his hand over mine and my teary gaze flickered back to him. He watched me tenderly, offering me comfort. I sank down into the couch and leaned my head against his shoulder. We hadn't been like this since the Halloween party. And I desperately missed it. I missed _him_.

"My mom was big on holidays. Especially Christmas. I think that's what I remember most about her: how she loved Christmas." He let out a breath and then swallowed. I got the feeling he didn't talk about this a lot. About his mom. It was the first he'd ever said anything to me about her. My heart warmed and tears brimmed in my eyes again. I gave his hand a squeeze. "We'd have a big celebration every year. And then after she died…" He cleared his throat. "Well-"

There was several loud bangs on the door. Caroline jumped up from where she was playing with Missy on the floor and ran to go answer it, toting Missy with her. A minute later she returned with Stefan, who was carrying armfuls of bags. The scent of Turkey and Mashed Potatoes filled the room. My mouth watered.

"Dinner's here," He grinned.

* * *

"How's your dad, Stefan," I asked as I helped him unload the food. It came in portable microwave safe containers; there were six of them all together. I was popping off tops when he answered,

"Fine, I guess." And then he sighed. "He wanted to talk about putting my name down as the next CEO for when he retires in a few years."

Damon passed me a plate and then Stefan. Caroline had to jump for hers.

"You should tell him you have other things you want to do with you life," I said, sneaking a taste of potatoes. I had to keep myself from moaning it tasted so good.

Damon laughed. "Yeah, while you're at it Stef, tell him you fathered a bastard child. That goes over _really_ well."

I frowned at him. "Maybe you should try talking to him again, Damon. He could come around…"

He was shaking his head before I finished talking. "Been there, done that. Things got broken. I'm not doing it again. For all I care he can just forget I even exist." He spattered some potatoes onto his plate roughly. Caroline shrieked when some landed on her cheek.

Yeah, that was a big fat lie.

"Talk to your dad, Stefan," I insisted, grabbing a roll. "You'll hate yourself one day if you don't. The last thing you want is to be stuck at a job you hate."

"Amen to that." Caroline agreed, raising her beer.

"I don't think he'll listen," Stefan said hesitantly, scratching the back of his neck. Missy started to get fussy, reaching for things with her hands. I scooped a little bit of the potatoes in her baby bowl and pulled a chair up beside her highchair. I dipped a small spoon into the bowl and offered her a bite. She opened her mouth and gladly accepted it.

"It won't hurt to try," I said over my shoulder. Stefan glanced at Damon but his brother just shrugged and said around a mouthful of bread, "Your funeral."

Caroline walked around the table and plopped a plate of food in front of me then grabbed my empty plate and made herself a helping. I smiled at her and said thanks.

"How are things with Klaus?" I asked her once Missy was full and happily preoccupied with a toy. I finally turned to my own plate of food and started tearing into the turkey.

"Great," She smiled. "He's so sweet, and his accent, I mean, come on, does it get any sexier?" She sighed dreamily. Damon snorted. She ignored him, instead looking over at Stefan. "Oh! Fun fact: he has a sister named Rebekah. He says you two used to date."

"No kidding?" Stefan said. "Small world. How's she doing?"

Caroline shrugged. "Haven't met her. Klaus said she kinda hates your guts right now, though. Guess you ended it, huh?"

Now Stefan shrugged. "The relationship wasn't going anywhere. I couldn't picture myself marrying her."

"Aw," Caroline said, "You decide the fate of your relationships on whether you want to marry her or not? That's really sweet."

"Yeah, you're a saint, Stefan." Damon mumbled sarcastically. I looked over at him, my hands absently picking at my roll.

"You don't want to get married, Damon?"

"She'd have to be one hell of a girl if I did." he replied. I frowned and looked down at my plate; it was empty but I was still hungry.

"So I guess things _aren't _working out with Andie," Caroline quipped smugly. She perched her chin on her intertwined hands. Damon didn't acknowledge her, instead he watched me as I reached for a second helping of green beans.

"Really, Lena?" he said, "Who goes back for vegetables."

"I like green beans." I informed him. He crinkled his nose, not satisfied.

"I think it's time for pie." Before I could say anything he jumped out of his seat and headed for the kitchen (we were eating in the very nice, very large dining room). Stefan got up to go help him. When they returned, Damon sat a big honking piece of apple pie in front of me. Stefan graciously gave Caroline hers. I poked at it with my fork.

"Wow, did you give me half the pie?" I asked, then took a huge bite. The apples tasted delicious and I quickly went for more. Missy slapped her hands on her highchair to get my attention. I smiled over at her and scraped some of the soft filling onto her spoon for her to have a bite too.

Caroline begged off after she finished her pie. She said she had to spend at least some of the day with her family. I gave her a hug and said goodbye. Stefan left soon after that. Lexi called and wanted to see him.

Damon reached across the table to help me finish my piece of pie. I'd managed to eat half of it, but I was stuffed. I noticed Missy falling asleep in her chair and stood to grab her.

"I'm gonna put her down for a nap." I started to walk away and then paused in the doorway. "I have to work later," I said, looking at Damon tentatively. "But do you…want to watch some movies until then?" I held my breath for his answer.

He waited a few seconds, torturing me, then said, "Yeah, sure." I turned around and tried to hide my smile as I felt him follow me out of the room.


	23. Chapter 23

AN: This chapter was originally longer, but then it ended up being _too_ long. So I had to split it in two. Thank you so much for the reviews. I love reading them, and honestly I mean it when I say they keep me writing. So again, thank you so much!

* * *

Quietly, I made my way into the room and scurried up the bed, standing beside a sleeping Salvatore. Looking down at him I rethought my plan, wondering if I should let him sleep longer. I squashed that thought in a nanosecond. It was time for him to wake up.

I started bouncing beside him on the bed; up and down, up and down. I really dug my heels in, getting the height I needed to shake the bed. I hopped back and forth several times before Damon finally groaned.

"This better be a damn earthquake," he grumbled into his pillow. I stopped next to him, hands on my hips.

"It's December 23rd, and we are going to buy a Christmas tree. Get your butt up and let's go."

"What?" He pushed himself up a little and looked up at me. "Why the hell are we buying a tree?"

"Because it's Christmas, and I said so." I informed him. He looked over at his clock and frowned, seeing that it was only seven-thirty.

"Didn't you just get off work? Don't you need to sleep?" he asked.

Sure, if that were possible.

"I'll sleep later," I said dismissively. "I want us to go get the tree _now_. Before all the good ones are gone." I started to bounce again and Damon groaned, dropping his head into his pillow. "_Let's. Go._"

Damon reached out and grabbed my leg, pulling me off my feet and landing me on my back with an "oof."

I sighed, flopping my arms down next to me. "Satisfied?"

"I would be if you'd go to sleep."

"These sheets aren't that amazing."

"Aren't they?"

I laughed and propped myself up on my elbow. "Are you seriously going to make me drag you?"

"I would seriously like to see you try." He smirked. I grinned and scooted toward him, poking him in the arm several times. "Stop that." he said, trying to swat my hand away. I poked his arm again, and then his cheek, and then right in the ribcage. He reached for my hands with both of his and seized my wrists, yanking me on top of him. I giggled, fighting against his hold.

"Alright, blue eyes, surrender already. This is getting ridiculous." I joked, tugging against his grip again. I barley moved. "Come on," I pleaded, looking down at him. "Picking out a tree will be fun. I promise."

"What's fun about looking at trees? There's plenty of them in the front yard."

"Yeah, but this tree is going to mean something." I said.

"What's that?" He raised an eyebrow.

"It's going to mean Christmas. And family, and happiness, and best of all…_presents_." I widened my eyes like a child and put heavy emphasis on the word. Damon snorted, a smile crossing his face. I grinned back. "Sooooo?"

"Fine, I'll go." he relented, releasing me. I sat up and he rolled out of bed.

"It was the presents, wasn't it?" I teased.

"You caught me."

* * *

"What do you think, Missy?" I asked, looking over at the infant perched on my hip. "You like this one?" Missy yawned. "Yeah, I don't think so either. It's not full enough." I bounced her a little, eliciting a small giggle.

"Looks fine to me," Damon commented, twisting one of the branches between his fingers.

"He's new at this," I told Missy, tapping her nose with mine. I looked up and glanced around the tree farm, scanning the rows. They were all nice looking trees, but none of them we'd looked at so far met my requirements. For starters, it needed to be at least 8.5 ft tall; the Salvatore's had a large den.

And then I saw it.

I gasped, and grabbed Damon's hand, pulling him after me. I wove us in and out of the rows until we came to a 9 ft Fir. There wasn't a bare spot on it, and the branches were the richest green I'd ever seen. I gazed at it, a huge smile spreading across my face. Damon squeezed my hand and I looked over at him.

"This is it," I said. His eyes glimmered with something as he looked down at me and my heart beat a little faster. He shifted our hands, slipping his fingers between mine, and pulled me closer. He brushed some of my hair aside, and I leaned into him. My skin ignited beneath his touch.

Missy reached for his hand, smacking me in the face as she tried to wrap her hand around one of his fingers. I laughed, shifting her away from my face so I wouldn't get assaulted again.

"Here," I held her out to Damon. "Take her and I'll go tell them this is the one we want." Missy reached for him as I handed her over and immediately started to clap his cheeks between her hands. I laughed again as I walked away, looking for someone who worked here. I'd seen a million of them earlier - they wore red vests - but now it seemed like they'd all disappeared.

"Elena?" I spun around.

"Matt," I breathed, surprised. My ex watched me, his light blue eyes smiling. "Hey. How are you? I haven't seen you in… Wow, it feels like forever."

"I'm good." he replied. "Been gone a while, dealing with family stuff. You remember how my mom is, and now Vicki's run off with Tyler. I got back a couple months ago, though."

"I heard."

"How are you doing? I heard you moved in with the…Salvatore's?" he said it hesitantly, like he almost didn't believe it.

"Yeah," I said. "After Katherine died I thought they might need a little help."

"Right. I'm sorry about Katherine,"

I nodded, my normal response when someone said that. I looked over his shoulder at Damon and Missy still standing by the tree. Damon looked like he was saying something to her. He rubbed a branch between his fingers then leaned forward so that Missy could do it too. I fought a grin, but I felt a small one spread anyway. "I'm okay, Matt," I said, looking back at him. "I'm really good, actually."

"That's great, Elena." Matt smiled and glanced down at the ground shyly. "So, uh, can I help you with something?"

I only then noticed the red vest he wore, a small paper nametag on the shoulder.

"You work here?" _Duh. Dumb question, Elena._

"Uh, yeah," he said, "I haven't found anything regular yet. Just been doing odd jobs since I got back. Saw the help wanted sign for this place and thought I could do this for a couple weeks." He shrugged.

"You should stop by the Grill," I suggested. "I'm off the next few days for Christmas, but next week sometime. At night. If you'll fill out a résumé I can talk to Ric about giving you a job… I know it wouldn't exactly be the best job but-"

Matt smiled brightly. "No, that would be great! Thanks, Elena." He leaned forward like he was going to hug me but thought better of it. He reached behind him to scratch the back of his head.

"So…," I said, stepping around him. "We want this tree over here," I pointed, leading him to it. I looked for Damon but he'd disappeared somewhere. Matt stopped beside me, eyeing the tree with awe.

"You found the best one," he said. I nodded, smiling softly and looked around for Damon again, peering in between the trees. I finally spotted him just one row back when several people cleared. He held Missy against his chest, her head rested on his shoulder. I smiled and almost called him over, but then I noticed who he was talking to.

Andie looked pretty as ever in her stylish black coat and fancy scarf. She gazed up at Damon like he hung the moon. The smile slipped from my face and I turned back to Matt disheartened. I realized he'd been saying something and tried to shake off my queasiness. I opened my purse and pulled out the cash I'd brought. I gave him extra and pointed to another tree. "Send that one to my dad's house, please." I said.

Matt nodded. "Can do." He didn't have to ask for the address; He knew it very well. He called over his shoulder to get someone to help him load up our Fir. I stepped out of their way.

"Old boyfriend?" Damon asked beside my ear. I jumped and looked over at him.

"How do you know that?"

He shrugged. "You seemed pretty familiar with him, more so than you would be with a random tree salesman."

"That doesn't automatically mean I used to date him,"

"But you already admitted that you did. So I was right."

"Congratulations." I mumbled, crossing my arms.

We led Matt and his coworker to my car and they tied the tree to the roof. While Damon put Missy in her car seat Matt touched my arm lightly and motioned for me to step aside with him.

"Hey, would you, um, want to get some dinner with me later? My shift ends at seven…," he asked, tucking his hands in his pockets.

This was it. The moment I'd been dreading. I'd hoped I was wrong, but I saw it coming. Matt and I dated for years; I knew him inside and out. His shyness reminded me of the first time he'd asked me out. Back then I'd thought it was cute. But now…I liked my men with more of a backbone.

"Matt…" I began, searching for the right words to say. Part of me said to say yes. _What if things have changed? What if it could work this time?_ But I knew I was never going to feel the things for Matt that I should. I wasn't going to magically love him because I told myself to. I couldn't get back into a relationship I knew would go nowhere. "I can't. I was planning on marshaling Damon as he put up the tree," _Wimp._

"Oh," he said, disappointed. "That's ok."

No, it wasn't. I needed to tell him the truth.

"Honestly, Matt," I forced myself to rush on before I could change my mind. "I think we should stay friends. I realize I'm assuming a lot here, because all you did was ask me to dinner, but I need you to understand that I don't have romantic feelings for you."

"Ouch." He winced. I immediately felt terrible. He started to back away, hands still in his pockets. "I understand. I'll make sure that tree gets delivered to your dad's house." I almost called him back when he turned and walked away, but I didn't have anything else to say. I could say I was sorry, I was, but that wouldn't help. It'd probably only make him more embarrassed.

I sighed and turned toward my car. Damon stood beside it, arms crossed. He'd seen the whole exchange. I groaned and hurried for the driver's side door.

"Tell me he didn't just seriously ask you out," Damon said. He sounded annoyed, perturbed. I gave him a weird look and hopped in the car. He climbed in too and repeated the question.

"So what if he did," I snapped, jamming the key in the ignition. "Is it really so unbelievable someone would ask me out?"

"Of course not," Damon scrunched his brows, like he couldn't believe I'd just said that. "Tell me you said no."

"Damn it, Damon, what does it matter?" I remembered the baby sitting in the back seat and mumbled "Shit!" automatically. I banged my head against the steering wheel.

Neither one of us spoke again. I picked my head up and drove us home in silence. The car ride put Missy to sleep by the time we got back to the house. Riding in the car always did that to her. I grabbed her from the car seat and ran to put her upstairs in her crib, grabbing the baby monitor on my way back out.


	24. Chapter 24

AN: So here's the second half! heehee. Just want to let everyone know I've posted a playlist for this story on my page. It's a short list of songs I feel work for the Damon/Elena dynamic of this story. If you have any suggestions feel free to Private Message me or leave a review (whatever you like) and I may add it to the list. :)

* * *

Damon had the tree untied when I came back out. He managed to pull it off the car by himself. I grabbed the top and he held the bottom and we carried it into the house. We set it up by the fireplace. It looked even more gorgeous in the house than it had at the tree farm.

"I'm assuming you have decorations," I said. If not, my pocketbook was seriously going to be hurting by the end of the day.

"I think we have some old ones up in the attic," he said hesitantly, then turned and headed for the stairs. A few minutes later he came back down with an old, dusty box.

"Wow," I said, dusting the box off and lifting the lid. "You weren't kidding when you said you haven't celebrated Christmas in a while."

All the ornaments were glass. The old, delicate kind. And they looked expensive. I handled them carefully as I sifted through them. Each one was wrapped in a hand towel.

"They were my mother's," Damon said when I looked up at him. I turned back to the ornaments and stared in awe when I came across a star made out of stain glass - like what you see in old church windows.

"This is beautiful," I said, holding the topper up to the light. The different colors glimmered. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Yeah, well," Damon shrugged. "She liked crafts."

"Your mother made this?" I said in disbelief.

"Yeah."

I wrapped the star back up in the towel and placed it carefully on the coffee table, then returned to the box.

"Get over here," I waved Damon over. "Let's decorate this tree with these kickass ornaments."

I got him to smile. It felt like a victory.

After we put the lights on the tree, it took us about half an hour to find the right places for all the ornaments. Missy woke up part way through and I brought her downstairs with us, putting her in her playpen.

"Time for the star," I said. "We may need a step stool or something…,"

"Nah, grab it and come here," Damon said.

I picked the star up off the coffee table and blanched when Damon crouched in front of me, instructing me to climb on his shoulders.

"Are you sure-"

"Get on my shoulders, Elena."

"Fine." I grumbled, hesitantly stepping over him. He grabbed my thighs to hang onto me as I wrapped myself around his neck. I squealed as he stood.

"If you drop me you are going to regret it," I warned.

"Relax, Lena, I'm not going to drop you," Damon said. "This is the most action I've ever gotten out of you. You think I'm gonna ruin that?"

My cheeks heated and I was glad he couldn't see my face. "Just hold still." I leaned forward, grabbing the top of the tree and centered the topper. Damon crouched again to let me down and I eagerly jumped off of him. I took a few steps back to take in the full view of the tree. Damon came to stand beside me. His arm dropped around my waist and I tensed.

"Well, I think we did a pretty decent job," Damon commented. One of his fingers brushed the skin just beneath my shirt. Tingles shot up my spine.

"Decent? It's beautiful," I scoffed.

Damon nodded, a small smile forming. His grip tightened around my waist, turning me to face him. He placed a kiss on my forehead, and then in my hair.

"Damon…," My voice was barley a whisper, but it managed to make him stop.

He sighed. "You put out a lot of mixed signals, Elena."

"I don't mean to."

"One minute you're all over me and the next you don't even want me to touch you."

"I like being near you," I admitted. "I care about you, Damon. You're my friend."

He shook his head vehemently. "This is more than that and you know it."

"Why are we even having this conversation? You have a _girlfriend_. I just saw you with her earlier."

Damon's eyes widened. "That's why you had a change in attitude? You saw me with Andie and got jealous?" He was almost laughing, like it was hard to believe.

"Damon-"

"I broke up with Andie."

I gaped. "What?"

"Broke up with her a week ago. She was trying to get me back." he said, his eyes watching me intently. I was pretty sure my intestines were playing jump rope with my stomach. "I only went out with her to make you jealous, which, apparently, it worked." He smirked, and his eyes were alight. "You want this as much as I do, Elena. Andie was to make you realize that."

Well, it _had_ worked.

"I never even slept with her-" he continued, but I cut him off.

"That's not true. I _know_ she stayed the night sometimes."

Damon actually smirked. Like this was a time for smirking! "I always sent her home after you either went to bed or left."

I shook my head, unable to believe what I was hearing. "I can't believe you used her like that."

He frowned. "You can't avoid this forever."

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. "Damon, look. You're right; I think about it, us." Boy wasn't I full of emotional truths today. "And I'm sorry if I've hurt you because of things I've said or done, but don't think it hasn't hurt me, too. I care about you, a lot more than I should. I may even be in love with you, but I _can't do this_."

I couldn't look at him. I feared what I'd see if I did. Would he be angry at me again? I couldn't go another extended period of time without being near him. I just needed him to understand-

He was in front of me. His hands were on my cheeks and he was tilting my head up, forcing me to look at him. His blue eyes were severe in their intensity, but tender at the same time. He kissed my lips, softly, slowly, but that was all it took. I pressed myself against him and his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me tightly, like they would never let me go. I parted my lips, deepening the kiss. My hands brushed the bottom of his hair as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Damon shifted us, his lips never once leaving mine, until I was sitting on the armrest of the couch. He pulled my legs around his hips, his grip tight on my thigh. My jeans suddenly felt like an immense burden.

A baby giggled.

I broke the kiss and my gaze shot over to where Missy was sitting in her playpen, looking through the mesh siding, watching us. She giggled again and clapped her hands.

"See," Damon chuckled. "She even wants us together." He smiled at Missy and then turned back to me, brushing his finger under my chin, tilting my head up. He moved in to kiss me again but I quickly leaned away, nearly falling off the couch.

Damon's forehead crinkled. "What's wrong?"

I tried taking a deep breath but I was so frazzled it was nearly impossible. My heart pounded in my chest, aching with every beat. I needed to get away from Damon, that was the only way I could calm down, clear my head, but I couldn't make my body move. Instead I started to tremble and my hand clenched into a fist around his shirt. I leaned forward, resting my head against his chest. His hand immediately started stroking my hair.

"I think we should talk," I informed him softly. Everything was quiet, and I wasn't sure he heard me at first, but then he picked me up and walked around the front of the couch, taking a seat with me in his lap. As good as it felt to be that close to him I scooted myself to the other end of the couch. Damon let me go, but he frowned, confusion picking at his eyes. I couldn't blame him. He was right; I was putting out mixed signals.

Damon waited, his blue eyes never leaving me. I pulled my knees up to my chin and wrapped my arms around my legs. I let out a slow breath.

"I think I need some space," I mumbled, fighting the urge to hide my face in my legs. "Maybe I should move back in with my dad for a little while…"

Damon's frown deepened, and his eyes grew narrow. "You can't run away just because you don't want to face what's happening, Elena." he said firmly, his voice deep and serious. I almost looked away from his hard stare but somehow managed to hold his gaze.

"If that's what I want then yes, I can. I'm an adult."

"And you think running away is an adult thing to do?"

"Apparently!" I snapped. "It's what you do. That's why you won't go see your dad, right? You're running away from your problems just as much as I am mine!" _Oh, crap,_ I immediately thought, nearly smacking myself. _Low blow, Elena_. Could I not keep my mouth shut?

Damon didn't run off this time, though. He let what I said affect him for all of two seconds before he brushed it off and said, "We're not a problem, Elena. The only time when this is a problem" he motioned between us. "is when you deny that we should be together."

"But we shouldn't-"

"For once, _listen_, Elena," he stopped me. I clamped my mouth shut. "You promised you were going to make me happy, remember that?" he asked. I glanced at the couch. "Well you know what makes me happy? Being near you. You know what would make me happier? Being _with_ you. Getting to touch you whenever I want. Kiss you whenever I feel like it." When I looked back up he'd somehow gotten closer. He reached for me with his hands and ran his thumbs across my cheeks. And then, while I was mesmerized by his touch, he brought his lips to mine. It was slow, delicate…and maddening in every aspect. I shoved on his shoulder, pulling away and jumped out of my seat.

"I thought you were in love with Katherine!" I yelled, my lips finally spilling the one thing I was scared of most. The thing that kept me running away. Frustration curled my hands into fists and my skin felt red hot. "What happened to that?" Damon's eyes widened and his lips parted, but I didn't give him time to speak. "I won't be her replacement, Damon. I won't." Tears burned my eyes and I wiped at my face as one fell down my cheek. Damn it, why did I have to be crying right now?

"Elena," Damon stood and reached for me. I pulled my arm out of his grasp, shaking my head. "_Elena_." he said again, grabbing my arm and forcing me to look at him. "I need you to listen to me, okay? And listen good, because I mean every word. _Every_ word." He released my arm and moved his hand to delicately brush a piece of hair away from my face. "I thought I loved Katherine," he began, trailing his finger down my cheek. "But that didn't feel like this. I didn't want to be with her every second of every day. I didn't want to wake up holding her, or feel her curled up against my chest. I didn't feel like I was dieing every time I couldn't be with her, touch her, kiss her… I feel all of these things with you, Elena." The tears were flowing freely now, and I had to bite my tongue to keep myself from blubbering like a baby. Damon's eyes followed one as it slipped down my face and he leaned over and kissed it. "It killed me to stay away from you after that damn party," he mumbled against my flesh as his lips kissed away another tear. "But I had to make you see you want this too. You understand, don't you?" He pulled away to look me in the eye and I missed his warm breath against my skin. "I had to make you see."

I laughed softly at the absurdity of it all and reached up to dab under my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt. And then I laughed some more.

Damon ducked down a little to get a look at my face. "Laughing is good, right?"

"You're such a jerk." I mumbled, burying my face in my hands for a second before I looked back up. "Do you know what hell you've put me through? I haven't slept well in weeks!" I pinched his arm and he flinched.

"Ow!" he said, but a smile was on his face. "I had to do it or you'd still be living in Denial City." He looped his fingers through the belt loops on my jeans and tugged me against him. "Can you yell at me later? Because all I want to do right now is kiss you."

I smiled softly and Damon leaned in, slowly inching his lips closer and closer to mine. He stopped a centimeter away, our lips practically touching, and waited. He freaking _waited_. The son of a bitch was leaving it up to me. He knew, he _knew _I wanted him, and he was going to make me show him. If I was going to leave, now would be the time. I had no doubt he would leave me alone after this. This was his final stand, as it were. I could leave, move back in with my dad, try to forget this ever happened. I could baby-sit Missy whenever needed, I could-

I let out a frustrated breath and grabbed him, pressing my lips to his. Damon responded immediately, kissing me back with a passion so intense my knees started to go weak. I'd never been kissed that way before. Damon's hands wrapped around my thighs and he lifted me into the air, then my back was on the couch and he was on top of me. His hands wandered up and down my sides and mine wove through his hair. My legs squeezed his hips as his lips moved to my neck and I let out a lustful sigh. He moved faster, trailing kisses back up to my lips and slipping his hands beneath my shirt. My body responded to his touch, arching against him.

More baby giggles.

I broke the kiss, turning to look over at Missy, my eyes wide and my breathing heavy. Damon was just as out of breath. He rested his forehead on my chest for a second before glancing at Missy.

"We have got to get that kid a babysitter." he mumbled. I laughed, and my legs fell from around him. Damon smiled at me, amused, as I vibrated from laughter beneath him.

"You can't afford it," I informed him when I was finally able to calm down.

"Ah, but I'm not against the free use of family labor." He lowered his face to my chest and started to kiss his way down the deep V of my shirt. I laughed more, harder.

"I'm not sure how this is funny," Damon mumbled between my cleavage.

"It's…not," I continued to giggle. "Sorry I…can't stop."

Damon let out a throaty chuckle himself. "I think I can help,"

He kissed me on the mouth, and he was right - it sobered me right up.

She clapped this time, along with her giggles.

Damon groaned. "Come on, Miss. Give me a break. Daddy's trying to get lucky."

And then I was laughing again.


	25. Chapter 25

AN: A few of you asked if chapter 24 was the last. I can most definitely say it is not. Rest assured I will let you know when we have reached the end. But, for now, Damon and Elena's journey isn't over yet. Sorry about the wait. I meant to upload this chapter days ago but I couldn't find the time.

* * *

To say the rest of the day was a happy one would be putting it mildly. We talked, we laughed, we touched, we kissed... I made macaroni and cheese for dinner, which Damon declared the best comfort food he's ever had. Then shortly after we'd put Missy to bed we lay curled up on the couch, my hand splayed across his chest and my head resting on his shoulder. His arm wrapped around my waist and his fingers traced the skin just beneath the bottom of my shirt, giving me a feeling of contentment and security I'd never felt before. My eyes drifted closed as his touch lulled me to sleep. Just before I drifted off I felt him place a light kiss on the top of my head.

I slept twelve hours that night. Twelve, blissful, uninterrupted hours.

I peeled my eyes open at seven the next morning, feeling rested for the first time in weeks - even though I'd slept on the couch. I stretched my arms and legs, sighing softly as I did. Damon wasn't beside me anymore. I frowned at his empty spot and sat up, scanning the room. Nothing. Nada. My brain must really hate me because the first thought I had was that he'd changed his mind. He realized that a relationship with me wasn't really what he wanted. Couldn't say I blamed him; It would be a lot of work. We were at each other's throats a good portion of the time, it would probably always be like that. But, even so, I was finally ready to give it a shot. And it hurt like hell to think that he might not be.

And then I saw the note on the coffee table. I grabbed it with greedy hands and read it so quickly I had to read it again.

_Be back later. Had to go to the city. -Damon_

I stared at the little note, crinkling my forehead. The city. So he left town for some reason. Why?

I flung the note back onto the coffee table, a little frustrated. Then Missy started crying upstairs and I ran to go attend to her. After I fed her, burped her, and changed her diaper I was nearly chomping at the bit for something to do. I couldn't just sit on the couch and wait - I'd drive myself crazy anxiously bouncing my leg and staring at the clock. I tried reading a book, but after I read the same paragraph for the tenth time I decided that wasn't working. Missy and I played with her toys some, and then I started to mess with the tree a little, straightening certain ornaments that really didn't need to be straightened. I jumped out from behind the tree like a crazy person when I finally heard the front door open. I smoothed down my shirt and ran my fingers through my hair, really wishing I'd thought to run a brush through it earlier.

My heart sank when I saw it was Stefan, not Damon, who walked around the corner. Weird, huh? Never would have thought I wouldn't be happy to see Stefan. I tried to hide my disappointment, especially because he was smiling at me so brightly.

"Elena, great, you're here!" He hurried over to me. He oozed excitement. "I was hoping you would be."

"Well," I tried to smile back a little. "I am. What's going on?"

"I talked to my dad," he said. "He wasn't happy at first, but he didn't have a stroke in a fit of rage either. I don't have to take over the business. I can do what I want!"

I really did smile that time. "That's great, Stefan!" I spread my arms as he leaned in to hug me. "I'm happy for you."

"It's because of you," he said, pulling away. His hands gripped my arms. "I never would have stood up to him if you hadn't have encouraged me. I kept thinking about what you said."

And then he kissed me. Right on the mouth.

I shoved him away, and gaped at him. My hand flew to my mouth. _What. The. Hell._

"Stefan, I-" I cut myself off. I had no idea what to say. The only thing that came to mind was _Did that really just freaking happen?_

"I'm sorry," Stefan rushed out, extending his hands like you would toward a frightened animal. His eyes looked just as wide as mine felt. "I thought- I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I lied, pulling my hand away from my mouth slowly. "I just- wow." To say I was not expecting that would be an understatement. "I don't feel that way about you, Stefan. I'm sorry." And I meant every word. The realization of that hit me like a wave, and I stumbled back a step, placing a hand over my fast-beating heart. I'd wanted Stefan Salvatore to kiss me since the 10th grade. And when he finally did I didn't feel _anything_. I'd shoved him away without a second thought. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips and I felt terrible when I looked up and saw that Stefan looked like he was going to die from embarrassment right in front of me.

"It's really okay, Stefan," I tried to reassure him. "We can just forget it happened."

Stefan nodded, and then he said softly, "It's because of Damon, isn't it?"

The mere mention of his name made me want to smile, and a blush reddened my cheeks. I didn't have to answer. Stefan understood from my expression.

He nodded again and started to back away. "I'm gonna go, before this gets…awkward." I wanted to say something but I didn't know what. So I let him go. "Thanks again," he said, glancing back. "For the advise."

"No problem."

I fell onto the couch and buried my face in one of the cushions after he practically ran out the front door. I could have done without that little interaction. I definitely wasn't going to tell Damon. That would just cause strife between them. And there really was no point. Damon was the one I wanted to be with.

It wasn't five minutes later before I heard the door open again and I peeked my head over the side of the couch, expecting to see Stefan.

I quickly scrambled into a sitting position when I saw it was Damon.

"You just wake up?" he asked, smiling at me as he came to sit by me on the couch.

"No," I said, "I was just…relaxing." I finished lamely.

"Relaxing is good," Damon was smiling way too much for this topic of conversation.

"Why do you look like the cat who caught the canary?" I said cautiously, eyeing him.

"Maybe because the cat _did_ catch the canary," he replied. He grabbed me and pulled me closer until my legs were wrapped around his waist.

I rolled my eyes, but smiled nonetheless. I did practically set him up for that one. "Clever,"

"I got you something." He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small box about the size of my palm. A red bow sat atop gold wrapping paper.

"Is that where you've been?" I asked, staring at the box he held in his hand.

"I had to pick it up," he said, then smirked, "You miss me?"

"Admittedly." I confessed. "But don't let that go to your head,"

Damon's free hand crept up my thigh and he held the box to me with the other. "Open it." he said.

I shook my head. "Christmas is tomorrow." Honestly I hadn't expected him to get me anything. It was taking everything in me not to gawk.

"That doesn't mean you can't open it today. Some people do that, you know,"

"How would you know that? I thought you didn't celebrate Christmas?"

Damon shrugged and his hand lowered for a minute. "It may have been a tradition when I was younger," he said. "Like I said before, mom loved Christmas. She hated waiting." He held the gift up again, and I took it this time. How could I say no after that? I kept glancing up at him as I shredded the paper; he watched me the whole time. I pulled the lid off the box and my breath caught. My eyes widened.

Nestled in a cottony foam sat a blue jewel. The pendent was shaped like a teardrop and was a little larger than my thumbnail. Light reflected off its surface, making the blue miraculously vibrant. I stared at it, awe struck, then looked up at Damon.

"Holy crap," I mumbled.

Damon laughed. "So, you like it?"

"It's beautiful." I replied, looking back down at the jewel. I fought the urge to caress it delicately while whispering _my precious. _Then reality set in. "There's no way you could afford this," I said, disappointed. He'd have to take it back. There was no way I was letting him spend money on me he didn't have.

"I had a little extra cash stashed in my underwear drawer," he said teasingly. I frowned at him. "It's no big deal. Wasn't even that expensive, I swear."

"I don't believe you."

"Really. I found it at an old vintage shop a few weeks ago. The old woman was practically begging me to take it off her hands."

"Uh huh." I still didn't believe him. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want the damn thing. "Wait, weeks? But we- This just happened yesterday." _This_ being _us_. He bought me something that nice before we even- Before I...

Damon didn't respond. Instead he pulled the pendent out of the box. A thin silver chain was attached to it. He draped the necklace around my neck. His fingers grazed my skin while hooking the clasp, making me feel tingly. I held the pendent between my fingers when he pulled away, looking down at it.

"I can't believe you did this," I said, letting it fall against my chest.

"I have my moments," He smiled softly.

My fingers brushed the jewel again. "I love it." He had no idea how much. It was probably the nicest thing anyone had ever given me. Dad gave me gifts, sure, but never anything so…stunning.

I leaned forward and kissed him, holding his face in my hands. When I pulled away I glanced over at Miss in her playpen. She was resting on her tummy, her breathing even. I turned back to Damon and slipped my hands beneath his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders.

"I think she's asleep," I said, kissing him just below his jaw. My fingers crept under his shirt, grazing the taut flesh of his stomach.

He caught on. "Really?" he asked, his voice hopeful. I answered by pulling my shirt over my head. Damon's eyes took in my bra clad chest with excitement. It was almost funny. He looked like a teenage boy seeing his first set of boobs. "I should have given you the necklace weeks ago," he said, then practically tackled me. My back pressed into the couch. "Damn thing had to be sent away for cleaning," I smiled against his lips as he kissed me. He helped me tug his shirt over his head and then his hands were everywhere, feeling every part of me. His lips fell to my neck just as one of his hands unclasped my bra. I sucked in a breath and released it in a soft mew. My bra was gone - discarded on the floor - and we were chest to chest. Damon let out a throaty moan and kissed his way down my stomach. He popped the button of my jeans-

The front door slammed.

Damon shot up, flipping a cushion over my bare chest to cover me up. I barley had time to think before a loud "Elena!" rang through the house. Damon groaned, annoyed.

Caroline rounded the corner, blond hair bouncing around her shoulders. "Oh, great. You." she grumbled seeing Damon. "Hey, where's-" That's when her eyes landed on me. They widened and a huge smile spread across her face. "Oh my-"

"Do you try to screw everything up," Damon said, cutting her off. "or does it just come naturally to you?"

Caroline smirked and tilted her head. "From the looks of it, I'm not the one doing the screwing."

If it was possible to die from embarrassment I probably would have then.

"Damon, hand me my shirt," I whispered. He reached for it grouchily, throwing Caroline a glare as he handed it to me. I turned away to put it on.

Missy started to cry, letting us know she'd woken up. Damon pulled his own shirt over his head roughly and stood to go grab her.

"See if she's hungry," I suggested. He nodded and carried her to the kitchen. Caroline actually pranced over to the couch, taking a seat next to me. I could barley look at her without blushing she was smiling so brightly.

"You should really lock the door," she said smugly. "Wouldn't want just anybody walking in here while you were…indecent."

"Don't make me hit you."

She held up her hands in defense. "Hey, I just stopped by to see if the rumors were true. Which, apparently, they are. Thanks for telling me, by the way." she said, sounding annoyed.

"What rumors?" I asked, confused.

"The rumors about you and Damon!" she said like it was obvious. "Come on, I heard you were all over each other at the tree farm yesterday. You can't expect people in this town not to notice that."

"We weren't 'all over each other.'" I said, defensive. "We held hands. That's not a big deal."

Caroline raised her eyebrows. "You don't hold my hand. Or Bonnie's. Or Matt's, or Ric's, or-"

"Okay, I see your point," I said, stopping her. She smirked triumphantly. "But nothing was going on then. It happened…after." I said sheepishly.

"I'm gonna need more details than 'it'."

"We talked, we kissed…" I shrugged, but I was smiling. "Things have changed between us. We're gonna try to make it work. That's all I can really say right now."

"I'm proud of you, kid." She grinned, giving my knee a squeeze. "You finally found the balls to take what you want."

I snorted. "Classy."

"Like a sailor." She winked.


	26. Chapter 26

"That's pretty, where'd you get it?" Caroline asked, pointing to my necklace. I reached up and touched it. I usually kept it hidden beneath my shirt while at work; I hadn't realized it'd fallen out.

"Oh, uh, Damon gave it to me." I said as I dropped it back under the collar of my shirt. The jewel was cool against my skin.

"Who knew he had taste." She flipped the page of her magazine and took a swig of her beer. She was off tonight. God only knew why she'd decided to keep me company. Normally on her days off you couldn't get her to step a foot in this place. "Speaking of Damon, how are things going with him?" she said it lazily, like she really didn't care. I knew her well enough to know that wasn't true.

"So far, pretty well," I replied, just as placidly. Her eyes flickered up to me from her magazine.

"That's it?"

"What's it?"

"Pretty well? That's all I get?" She dropped the magazine and rested her elbows on the bar. "You're dating a sex god and that's all you have to say?"

"Damon will be elated to know you think so highly of him."

"Oh my God." She blanched like she'd seen a ghost and leaned back.

"What?" I asked cautiously.

"You haven't done it yet, have you?"

I grabbed my water bottle and took a quick sip, trying to fight off the blush I felt creeping up my neck. "Done what?" I asked innocently.

Caroline wasn't having it. "_It. _Sex." I didn't answer. "Holy shi-"

"It's only been a week," I snapped. "That's not a big deal. A lot of couples wait a lot longer than that."

"Elena," Caroline said softly, like she was talking to a child. I rolled my eyes and grumbled under my breath. "I hate to break it to you, but you and Damon have practically been dating since you moved into that house."

"We have not."

"Whatever, you're official now, that's what matters." she said. "But there's been all this tension between the two of you for months. How have you not done the deed yet?"

I shrugged, and then after a second threw my hands up in exasperation and took a seat on a stool. To be honest, I didn't know either. We were together all the time, but something was always getting in the way.

"I don't know," I grumbled, resting my elbows on the counter and placing my hands over my temples. "Missy's either awake or Stefan walks in, or I have to go to work, or I'm simply too exhausted _from_ work. It feels like the universe is working against us." It felt good to finally complain about it. I'd been feeling frustrated for days.

"You haven't had _one_ moment of free time?" Caroline said skeptically.

I narrowed my eyes at her and gave her a pointed look. "We did. And then my best friend walked in on us."

I expected her to be remorseful, or at least a tad sympathetic, but instead she busted out laughing. I felt irrationally angry at first, but then I realized it was kind of funny. I fought a smile. "Stop laughing!"

"Damon must be going nuts!" she choked out between giggles. She was laughing so hard she was swaying on her stool. She even started to snort.

And then I started to laugh too. "He does look like he's about to spontaneously combust sometimes."

If it were at all possible, Caroline started to laugh harder. We sat there like that for I don't know how long, giggling, chuckling, snorting, until we were both out of breath and tears were slipping from our eyes. I felt bad laughing about it, but the thought of Damon Salvatore being celibate for any extended period of time was hilarious.

"We have plans for tomorrow," I told her once we'd both calmed down. "I'm only telling you this so that you don't hound me about going to any New Year's Eve parties."

"Aw, boo. You know me too well. But I suppose I can let it slide this one time, since it's for nasty purposes." She wiggled her eyebrows and I rolled my eyes. "Be sure you-"

"No! Nu uh," I cut her off, because I knew that look in her eyes. "You are not about to give me sex advice."

She pouted. "But it's good advice, I swear!" Then she grinned to herself and tilted her head slightly. "I mean, I've never gotten any complaints…,"

I plopped my hands over my ears and started singing _The Wheels On The Bus_. I saw her huff in frustration and then she went off on her own little tangent, her lips moving at rapid speed. I didn't stop until I saw someone step up beside her. I quickly removed my hands and clamped my mouth shut.

"-g-spot-" Caroline was in the middle of saying.

"Hey, Matt," I said, effectively cutting her off. I shot her a look for good measure. Her eyes widened and she glanced over at the blond boy standing next to her. Matt waved at her awkwardly.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, looking at me.

I was so embarrassed I nearly started laughing again. God knows what Caroline had been saying while I was belting a children's song. What a pair we made.

"No, definitely not," I rushed out. "We were just joking around." Matt nodded and let out a small "Ah," I hurried on, "Did you come to fill out an application?"

"Yeah," he replied. Then cautiously added, "If that's still okay?"

"Oh, yeah." I waved my hand nonchalantly and bent to grab an application out from under the bar. I handed it to him.

"Thanks." he said. He nodded at me and then Caroline and started to slowly back away. Poor Matt was basically the definition of awkward these days. Someone really needed to teach him it was okay to be a little more out there.

"Well that was delightful." Caroline said sarcastically once he was gone. I nodded in agreement.

"So, what's really on your mind?" I asked, leaning on the counter. "I'm assuming you didn't come here just to talk about Damon."

"Honey, I've got _plenty_ of things to say about Damon. I just don't think you'd like most of them."

"Most?" I raised my eyebrows. "Does that mean you have nice things to say about him?"

She scowled, then admitted, "Even the gigolo has a few good qualities. Mostly physical. Including his large-"

"Back to you," I said quickly. "Your problems. Voice them. Let me hear it."

"I don't think things are working with Klaus." she blurted, brushing the hair away from her face with her hands. She rubbed her temples.

"Wait, I just asked you last week and you said everything was great."

"I thought they were," she grumbled. "And then it just kind of hit me a few days ago."

"What did?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"He treats me like I'm his arm candy. Something pretty to look at and nothing else. It's…degrading." she practically growled the last part. The thought brought a scowl to my face, as well. Thank God Damon knew better than to treat me like that. I'd seriously kick his ass.

"Okay, are you sure that's what's going on? You couldn't possibly be misreading things or something?" She glared at me and I held up my hands. "I just don't want you to do anything you'll regret later." Caroline ducked her head and I followed suit, trying to catch her eye. "You sure there's nothing else?"

A small sigh passed her lips and she mumbled, "Tyler and Vicki are getting a divorce."

Ah, so that's what this was really about.

"Okay," I said slowly.

"I mean, no surprise, right?" Only Caroline could go from barley whispering to sounding nearly hysterical in a matter of seconds. "He called me last Monday." she was back to the near whisper. "That's what I really went to talk to you about."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were…busy. And you looked happy. I didn't want to put a damper on your day with my problems."

Considerate, yes. Smart? No. I knew better than anyone that the longer you waited to talk about the things that plagued you, the more they would drive you crazy.

"What did he say?" I asked.

She shrugged and a sad smile crossed her lips. "He wants to see me. Said he was sorry. Same old."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Honestly I'm feeling…conflicted. Confused."

I rounded the bar and came out on the other side so that I could sit beside her. I placed a hand on one of hers and looked her in the eye. "That's to be expected." I assured her. She nodded. "You know, Caroline, you don't have to see him if you don't want to."

"But that's the thing," she said. "I _do_. I hear his voice and I'm sucked right back in. I've loved him for so long, I just… It's hard to let that go, you know?"

No, I didn't. Honestly I'd felt relieved when Matt and I had broken up - like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. And I knew I'd loved Matt; he was my first love. But when I realized I wasn't _in _love with him, I didn't have a problem letting go. I'd only dated off and on since then, nothing serious. And now there was Damon. God knew where that was going to go, but I was in it for the long haul if he'd have me.

"I understand," I said sympathetically, rubbing her back.

"What do you think I should do?" she asked me with pleading eyes.

That was an interesting question. I tried asking myself what I would do in that situation, and then I realized I had experienced something similar. Stefan had kissed me, after me having crushed on him for the longest time, he'd finally returned those feelings. Except I was over him now; I've moved on. I chose Damon. And I didn't regret it for one second.

"I think," I said, taking a deep breath. "I think you should give Klaus a chance. You can't keep giving in to Tyler every time he decides he wants you back. I know you love him, Care, some part of you probably always will, but if you don't give yourself a chance to move on you'll never know what else is out there. You might find something even better. Stronger."

Caroline nodded, biting her bottom lip. Then she smiled. "That was deep. I'm impressed."

"Yeah, well," I nudged her with my shoulder. "I have my moments."

"Would you…" she started, then trailed off. "Would you go out with us one time? You can even bring Damon if you want. It could be a double date."

"You and Klaus, and me and Damon?"

"Yeah." She nodded and rushed on when she saw my hesitant look. "Hear me out. You're a good judge of character, you could help me decide whether he's worth my time."

"Double dates aren't really my thing, Care…" Privacy, now that was my thing. I never understood couples who felt the need to share their love with the world. Seriously, I did not need to see you making out with your significant other.

"Please, Elena," Caroline begged, batting her eyelashes. "Your opinion means a lot to me. I trust you, and I need your help."

"Okay," I agreed with a sigh. She was my best friend. How could I say no? Damon was going to kill me.

She clapped her hands, smiling. "Awesome!"

I looked up when I heard the front door open, a bell jingling. Two men and three women sauntered in. I checked the clock on the wall as I jumped up and made my way back behind the bar. The Grill didn't normally get busy until around eleven, and it was exactly eleven on the dot. The men walked up to the bar and I made them the drinks they ordered. They returned to the women, who had taken a seat at a table. I filled two more orders as people continued to approach before I could turn back to Caroline. She was resting an elbow on the bar, her head in her hand. A bored expression was on her face.

"So who's going to watch Missy tomorrow while you and Damon do the horizontal tango?" she asked.

"Actually, I was hoping you would."

She looked up quickly. "What?"

I shrugged. "I know you probably have a party you can go to, but I thought I'd ask. If you don't want to that's fine-"

"No, no, no, no. I do!" the words tumbled out of her mouth so fast they almost sounded like one long word. "You tell that baby auntie Caroline's gonna take good care of her."

I scrunched my eyebrows. "Should I be worried?" I asked, already mildly regretting this decision.

"No more than usual."

"Oh. Good. That's comforting." I said sarcastically.

"We'll be fine." she assured me, waving a dismissive hand. She jumped up. "I'm gonna go get the house ready. Rent some movies- Ooh! Do you think she can eat chocolate yet?" I opened my mouth but she didn't let me get a word out. "Never mind, I'll figure something out."

And then she was gone. Running around tables and shoving by people crowding the door. I said a silent apology to Missy.


	27. Chapter 27

AN: I'm terribly sorry for the wait but the day I meant to upload this chapter I got very sick. But, bright side: this chapter is the longest yet. Hope that somewhat makes up for it. Love the reviews, keep them coming. :)

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I looked in the mirror and took a deep breath.

My nerves twisted my stomach into intricate knots, squeezing and squeezing until I could barley breathe. I gripped the counter with my hands and lowered my head. I wasn't sure I'd ever been this nervous. And I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. When I looked back up my skin was pale. I drummed my fingers on the counter and reached for my blush, smearing some on my cheeks to give them some color.

Caroline picked Missy up an hour ago. It hadn't taken me fifteen minutes to get ready after. I spent the remaining time clutching the bathroom counter, trying not to hyperventilate.

I shouldn't be this nervous; it was just sex, and it wasn't like it was my first time. And my whole body burned to be with Damon like that, but I also got sick to my stomach with anxiety thinking about it.

I was pretty certain I'd never felt this way about anyone before, and that brought expectations. Sex can be meaningless, but when it's not, when you actually care about the other person - maybe even love them - it took everything to a whole new level. And I knew Damon had slept with a lot of girls - talk about something that made me sick to my stomach - which left me with doubts in myself. What if I didn't measure up? Good lord, I was pathetic. I'd never thought about that before. Why did it bother me now?

I checked the clock on my phone and breathed a sigh. Damon would be back by now - he'd left to grab us something to eat for dinner.

I slipped on my robe and quietly made my out of the bathroom, eyes keen for any sudden movements. Slowly, I slipped down the stairs, hand holding the banister. I heard noise in the living room; it sounded like silverware clattering.

Damon was arranging square paper containers on the coffee table. I watched him for a moment, his back to me. A small smile pulled at my lips as he unpacked the paper bag he held, a whistle coming from his direction. After a few seconds he turned around and saw me. The whistling stopped, but only because he was smiling at me. I glanced at the floor shyly, a blush bringing color back to my cheeks.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey." I replied.

He motioned to the coffee table. "I got Chinese food. I don't know if you know how to use chopsticks or not so I got out some forks too."

Even though it was small, it was considerate and it made me feel warm inside. "I don't, actually."

"Then I'll have to teach you." He grinned. "But, as I said, forks are here if needed."

He motioned for me to come to him, and I did. I placed my hand in his and he wrapped my arms around his neck, his hands falling to my hips. He inched his face toward mine and kissed me, deeply. When he pulled away he muttered, "That'll never get old."

And then I was okay. I was still nervous from the anticipation, yeah, but I could breathe. I believed him, wholeheartedly. He wanted to be with me; he liked kissing me, as much as I did him. I didn't need to be insecure or worried that I wouldn't be good enough. We cared enough about each other to where even if it sucked it wouldn't matter. Though, I _highly_ doubted that would be the case. Our physical relationship was never a problem.

I brought his lips back down to mine and kissed him hard, letting him feel my desire, my want, my need for him. He responded, pulling me tightly against him and diving his tongue into my mouth. His hands squeezed my hips then one of them slipped down to my thigh and began to inch its way under my robe. My skin tingled and I could barley pull myself away. Damon opened his eyes, caught off guard, but his eyes held the same hunger I'm sure mine did. I grabbed his hand and started to move backward, tugging him after me.

"What about the food?" Damon mumbled, his heart not in it. From the look on his face, the last thing in the world he cared about right now was our Chinese takeout.

"Later," I breathed.

We ran up the stairs together, holding hands, and hurried through the door to his room. He kicked it shut behind us and then grabbed me and pushed me against it, kissing me again. My hands ran through the bottom strands of his hair, tickling his neck. He moaned against my mouth and I placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back a few steps until we stood in the middle of the room. I placed a kiss just below his jaw, and then on his neck as I undid my robe with my hands. I pulled away, took a step back and stared into his eyes for a moment. Then I let the robe fall to the floor.

I felt incredibly shy as his eyes devoured the new negligee I'd bought for tonight. It was black, just like he liked, and completely and utterly see-through. The only thing not visible was my crotch because I'd chosen to wear panties under it. For a while Damon seemed frozen in place, his eyes the only thing moving as they looked me up and down for what felt like the twentieth time. I was the one who finally stepped toward him, bringing my hand to the top button of his shirt. I felt his breath on my face as I undid the buttons one at a time. Once I reached the bottom I looked up at him, and, finally, he leaned forward and kissed me. It was a soft, tender kiss, which grew more heated the longer our lips touched. I helped him shrug off his shirt and he equally helped back me onto the bed. I watched him take off his pants before he crawled on top of me, balancing his weight over me carefully. His lips found my neck as his hands slipped under my negligee, pushing it up up.

"So beautiful," he murmured, kissing his way up my jaw. My insecurities wondered how many other girls he'd said that to, if he'd said it to _Katherine_, but then his thumb slipped beneath the band of my panties and all I could think about was him. Us. His touch. His lips against my mouth. His heart beating in time with mine. I released a sound as his hand caressed my thigh beneath my underwear and Damon moaned against my skin, returning his mouth to mine.

I was vaguely aware of something buzzing somewhere beside us. But I barely heard it, barely registered I was hearing it. I didn't care, whatever it was. Nothing could ruin this for us.

Except when the buzzing stopped it picked right back up again after a few seconds. After it did that the third time I glanced in its direction, annoyed. Damon's phone was lit up, vibrating on the nightstand next to us.

"Your phone's ringing," I told him.

"Don't care." he replied, commencing a trail of kisses down my stomach. I threw my hands back in reflex, arching my back.

"It won't stop." I could barely breathe. I felt like all the air had been sucked out of me. "Could be…important." I sighed the last part, just as he placed his last kiss at my navel. He sighed himself and reached begrudgingly for the phone.

"If it's Stefan I'm locking his ass out for the night." he grumbled, then glanced at the screen. "Who the hell…?" he muttered. I plucked the phone from his hand and looked at the number. I blanched and sat up quickly, pulling myself out from under him.

"It's Caroline." I said.

"How does she have my number?"

"I gave it to her in case of an emergency." I hit accept and placed the phone against my ear. "Hello? Caroline? What's wrong? Is something wrong?" I thought I'd been talking fast but my friend let out a string of incomprehensible words in the matter of a second. "Slow down, Care, I can't understand you." She repeated herself, this time slower, and I felt the blood drain from my body. I looked up at Damon and told him to get dressed. He didn't question me thankfully and jumped up to grab his pants as I hurried for the door. "We'll be there soon." I promised Caroline before hanging up the phone. I was dressed in about a nanosecond and returning to Damon's room to collect him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, meeting me at the door.

"Missy has a fever," I informed him. "Caroline's taken her to the hospital." I turned and headed for the stairs. Damon followed me.

"A fever," he repeated. "That's not bad, is it?"

"With babies, yes, it can be." I took two stairs at a time, more jumping down them than stepping.

"What do we do?" Damon asked frantically.

"We go to the hospital, we hold her, and we see what the doctor says." It was taking everything in me not to cry; I held it in because I knew it wouldn't help anything. It would just stress Damon out more and we didn't even know if anything was really wrong yet. There was no point in crying.

Damon beat me to the door, opening it and closing it behind us. We jogged to the first car we saw - his - and climbed in.

The ride to the hospital was silent.

I was calling Caroline as we pulled into the parking lot. She met us at the front door.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

Tears were brimming in Caroline's eyes and that one look left me cold with terror, so when she said "I don't know," a cool wash of relief flooded me.

"Where is she?" Damon asked behind me. Caroline glanced at him then turned her watery gaze back on me.

"She's with your dad." She motioned for us to follow her.

Missy was on the second floor, the fifth door on the left from the elevator. I stopped briefly in the doorway, seeing my dad holding her. He was in his typical doctor attire; scrubs, white coat. Missy was leaning her head on his shoulder as he swayed her in his arms. He whispered a song. Damon brushed past me and walked over to him.

"Let me see her," he said urgently. My dad looked up at him, only momentarily surprised, then he looked back down at Missy.

"Damon Salvatore, I presume." he said.

"Yes," Damon replied curtly. Then he said again, "Let me see her."

"I just got her to calm down. She cries when-"

"Just give her to him, Dad." I said, cutting him off. He glanced up, only just now seeing me. He shifted Missy in his arms and slowly handed her to Damon.

"Elena," he said, acknowledging me, then walked toward me. "I was only warning him." As if on cue Missy started crying. And it wasn't her usual 'I need something' fussy crying. She was wailing. Much like she had been the first time I met her. The difference this time was that Damon didn't cringe away from her like he had then. He held her closer and stroked her head, whispering quiet _shhh_s in her ear. "Daddy's got you." I heard him say.

My heart ached, and tears came to my eyes. I turned back to my dad. "She's gonna be okay, right?"

"Her temperature is 105," Dad told me solemnly. "That's high for an adult, much less a child." I glanced hurriedly to Missy then back again. Damon was listening as well. He looked like he wanted to say something but if he stopped talking to Missy her wailing got louder.

"You can help her, right?" I asked, my voice sounding gravelly.

"Grayson's on his way," Dad said with an assuring tone, touching my arm. "He's the best pediatrician in town. He'll know what to do better than I would."

Grayson was Dad's brother; my uncle. Both brothers chose to be doctors early on in their lives, but Uncle Grayson took a different road from my dad, choosing pediatrics. Grayson was a good doctor, it made me feel a smidge better to know he was going to help. Dad's pager beeped and he excused himself for a moment. Caroline took the opportunity to pounce.

"Elena, I'm so sorry," she said hurriedly. "I didn't know what to do. I did everything you said. I swear she was fine. I only fed her the stuff you gave me. And then she threw up and when I touched her she was burning hot. I didn't know what to do," she repeated.

"It's not your fault, Care," I tried to be reassuring but my voice sounded detached. I was filled with worry and it was hard to think of anything else. "You did the right thing bringing her here." I touched her arm. "Thank you. But you can go home now. We're here, we'll take care of her."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I loved her dearly but I didn't need her there to add to the stress. Between Damon and me the room was already full of tension. "The best way you can help is to go home and get some sleep for the both of us." Thankfully, she nodded and didn't argue any further.

I hurried over to Damon and placed a hand gently on Missy's head. The heat was somehow more than I expected. "Oh my gosh." I said, pulling my hand away. Damon kissed the side of her head like he couldn't feel it, or didn't care. I gripped Damon's arm and leaned my head against his shoulder. This was scary as hell, and definitely not the way the night was supposed to go.

My dad walked back in the room. Uncle Grayson followed him, carrying a clipboard. He scanned the paper attached to it. "This must be Marissa," he said, stopping in front of us. He gave me a small polite smile of acknowledgment then looked at Damon. "Are you the father?" Damon nodded. Uncle Grayson turned to my dad. "Has she been examined?"

"Yes. We couldn't conclude anything."

"Hmm." Uncle Grayson said, "Sit her over here on the bed so I can take a look at her." Damon did as instructed, hesitantly albeit. "Hello, Marissa," Grayson cooed, crouching down to her level. I doubted she could hear him over her own screams. They got louder when Damon put her down. Every wail she cried ripped me to shreds. I knew I would take the pain for her if I could, in a heartbeat. I curled into Damon's side and he wrapped an arm around my waist as Uncle Grayson checked Missy's heartbeat. He moved on to her ears, and then her throat.

"There's nothing obvious," he said, standing up. "It says she threw up Tylenol," He indicated the clipboard. "so lets get her some Motrin Suppositories to try to lessen the fever while we run a urine sample." My dad nodded in agreement and called for a couple nurses, giving them instructions. One of them came back with a shot, which Missy did not like, but I knew it was necessary. Once the urine sample was taken we were left to wait. Damon crawled onto the hospital bed and leaned against the headboard, letting Missy rest against his chest. He motioned with his hand for me to join him. Grateful for the invite, I curled up next to him and leaned my head on his shoulder. He took my hand in his and intertwined our fingers. Missy was still crying, but after a few minutes of Damon's rhythmic breathing she settled down a little. Or maybe it was the Motrin. I didn't care; whatever worked.

"Happy New Year," I mumbled sarcastically. Damon didn't respond. Instead he kissed the top of my head.

It took half an hour before the test came back. Grayson said it was inconclusive - meaning they didn't know what was wrong with Missy. Luckily by that time her temperature had dropped. It still wasn't back to normal but it was better than before. A nurse brought wet washcloths to dab on her forehead and that helped a little more. After another half hour Grayson said we could take her home.

"There's no telling what it was," he said. "Most likely she's fighting some kind of bug. If her temperature spikes again bring her back and we'll run some more tests. I suggest keeping her inside for the next couple of days to recuperate. The immune system of an infant is a fragile thing, but she's a tough little girl," He smiled down at her. "She'll be okay." He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a small business card, held it out to Damon. "You can call me directly if you have any questions. Anything at all." Damon's hands were full with Missy so I took the card from Grayson. I tried to smile at him but was too stressed out to pull it off. He acknowledged my effort though with a small pat on the arm.

Grayson left, and Damon handed Missy to me when the nurses came in asking him to come with them to sign some papers. He gave me a frustrated look then followed them out. I grabbed my purse and waited outside the patient room, sitting in one of the chairs lining the wall. I placed a kiss on the side of Missy's head and held her tightly against me. She didn't complain; she seemed to like it the closer I held her. My dad sat in the chair next to me, watching. After about thirty seconds of that I grew self-conscious and asked, "What?"

"I knew you'd make a good mother," he replied simply, a smile touching his lips.

I shook my head. "I'm not her mom."

He watched me a few more quiet seconds. "Sometimes, Elena," he said softly. "it's who's there, not who's blood runs through your veins. Although, biologically speaking, she does have some of your blood. Gilbert blood."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Okay, Mr. Doctor, thanks for that informative lesson."

"She's beautiful," He reached over and ran a finger across her cheek. "I can't believe this is the first time I'm meeting her."

Guilt flooded me. I hadn't exactly made an effort to make that happen, had I? Honestly it never occurred to me that he would want to see her. I felt terrible. "I'm sorry," I said culpably. "I should have brought her over. I've just been busy-"

He waved me off. "No, no. I understand. I don't blame you." he paused for a moment, then said more solemnly, "I should have made more of an effort when Katherine was alive, was what I meant." He looked sad now, downcast. It was the first time I'd seen my dad look sad over Katherine. Frustrated, angry, disappointed. Never sad.

"You and me both." I replied. "But there's nothing we can do about it now." I'd accepted that. I'd gotten through the mourning phase, both for Katherine's life and for the relationship we could have had as sisters. I knew it was time to move on, and I made peace with that. I was going to love Missy till the day I died, that was the best I could do for Katherine now.

Dad looked up and I saw him glance over at Damon hunched over a desk, signing everywhere the nurses pointed. "He's…something." he said hesitantly.

Oh, great.

"You barely spoke to him," I said defensively.

Dad leaned back. "So you are seeing him, then."

"Yes. I am."

"He has a reputation."

"I know."

"And you don't care." He sounded disappointed. I wasn't sure if that made me feel angry or sad.

"I do," I said. "But he's changed."

Now he looked at me like I was ten years old. A child who needed to be redirected. "Elena," he said softly, like he felt bad for me and my naivety. "I know every girl wants to believe a man would change for her-"

"It wasn't for me," I said angrily. I fidgeted in my seat, turning to face him better. "He changed for her," I nodded at Missy. "His daughter. So that he could take care of her, and love her, like a good father should." It made me angrier than words could describe that he could think otherwise. I may have given Damon a nudge in the right direction, but that was it. We grew to care about each other because of Missy, without her there never would have been anything other than attraction between us. Everything good that had happened was because of the precious little girl I held in my arms.

Dad looked taken aback. "I didn't mean to upset you."

_Well then you shouldn't have poked the damn bear,_ I was seconds from saying when Damon walked up. He stopped in front of my dad.

"Mr. Gilbert," he said. My heart nearly stopped, and I prayed silently that he wouldn't say anything that would make my father think any less of him. Yes, Damon was a changed man but impulse control wasn't his strong suit. Sometimes his mouth got away from him. Thankfully it turned out I had nothing to worry about. "I didn't get the chance to formally introduce myself," Dad was standing now as well and Damon held a hand out to him. Dad took it. I watched with wide eyes. "I'm Damon Salvatore."

"John Gilbert," Dad said in return. "It's a pleasure, Damon." I had to keep myself from snorting.

"Likewise, sir."

My mouth nearly dropped open. Damon had actually just called my father _sir_. I never thought I'd see the day.

"I'm sorry it wasn't under better circumstances," Damon continued.

Dad nodded. "Yes, well, sadly you just can't control these things sometimes." He looked down at me and Missy. I quickly tried to wipe away the astonished look on my face. "You two should get her home," He pointed to Missy. "She's exhausted."

I stood quickly, planning to take that exit and run for it. Things were going well, I didn't want to chance another few minutes. I kissed dad on the cheek, said I'd call him, and grabbed Damon's hand and started pulling him toward the elevator. I didn't speak until the elevator doors closed.

"You just acted respectfully." I said. I sounded bewildered but, really, I was just overwhelmingly happy, and I wasn't sure whether I wanted to jump his bones or pass out from relief.

Damon chuckled. "I wanted him to like me."

"Since when do you care if a girl's father likes you or not?"

"Since it's _your_ father." he said pointedly, looking over at me. I was pretty sure I had a look of awe on my face. It lined up with every feeling I had swirling around inside of me. Damon leaned over and stole a kiss, and for a second I debated saying _it. _I love you. But then he pulled away, shrugged, a mischievous look on his face, and said, "Can't have you ditching me before we get to the good stuff." he smirked.

I punched him in the arm, but hid a smile nonetheless.

I put Missy to bed as soon as we got home. She took a few minutes to fall asleep, she still seemed a little uncomfortable, but once she got still she was out. I turned to Damon, wrapped my arms around his middle and turned my head up slightly, puckering my lips. He gave them a peck then I pulled away, said goodnight and started heading for the door.

"Wait," Damon said, grabbing my hand. "Stay in here."

"Damon, I-" I shook my head. It was incredible how one scary-ass trip to the hospital just zapped everything out of you. I just wasn't up for our original plans anymore. "Not tonight. I'm exhausted-"

"Not that," Damon said, clarifying. His thumb rubbed a circle on my hand. I glanced down at it briefly then back up at him. "Just to sleep. I swear." His eyes were earnest, and truthfully he looked just as tired as I felt.

"Okay," I said. "But I have to change first." He nodded and reluctantly let go of my hand. When I came back he was pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it in the laundry hamper. I paused momentarily in the middle of the room, kinda unsure what to do, then when he looked at me I walked past him and climbed into the bed, burying myself beneath the covers. A few seconds later the light went out and the bed moved as he climbed in after me. He pressed himself into my back, looping an arm around my waist. I almost made a comment about not thinking he was the cuddling type but I didn't want to risk having him move. That was the last thing I wanted, actually. He kissed the back of my neck, and I sighed contently.

It didn't take long for either of us to fall asleep.


	28. Chapter 28

"You agreed to _what_?" Damon's voice was a mixture of disbelief and indignation. "Tell me that was just a really bad joke."

Honestly, I wished I could.

I scurried over to the bed where he was sitting and crawled onto his lap, placing a knee on either side of his thighs. I was fully prepared to beg. His whining was more tolerable than Caroline's. I'd never hear the end of it for the rest of my life if I backed out. I realized I probably should have asked Damon before I agreed we'd go on a double date with Care and her boyfriend, but it was too late for that now. Now I had to grovel. "It's just one date." I told Damon sweetly, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I promised we'd go. Please. Do this for me." I swept my fingers through his hair and gave him a pleading smile.

"Don't look at me like that," he groaned. "Don't give me those big doe eyes." I blinked said eyes innocently. "Why do I have to go? I know Blondie doesn't really want me there. Go without me. There's nothing wrong with being the third wheel."

"You're right. There's not." I leaned back, disentangling my hands from his hair. "Except when you have a boyfriend who's just too much of a jerk-face to go."

Damon raised his eyebrows. "Jerk-face? That's almost cute."

I shrugged. "I have other names, but being that there is a child in the crib a few feet over I chose to tone it down." Damon's lips curved into a small smile and his hands found my hips. His index finger brushed the skin just above the waistband of my jeans. I nearly smirked. I knew he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off me for long. I leaned forward again, scooting an inch further up his lap, my knees squeezed his hips as I did and I slid my hands up the length of his chest.

Damon moaned and closed his eyes. "You little seductress."

"I really want to go."

"No you don't." He opened his eyes. "I know you. You don't want to go anymore than I do."

He had me there.

"Okay, Caroline really wants me to go." I admitted. "So, by default, I want to go."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't have to."

"Lena," he whined, but I smiled. I knew the sound of a man who was about to cave.

"_Please_," I mumbled in his ear then placed a kiss strategically below it. Damon sighed, and his shoulders sagged. Victory.

"Fine." he grumbled. I pulled away, smiling, and started placing kisses all over his face. "But you better appreciate my sacrifice." he said, his hands slipping beneath my shirt. "I can think of a lot better things to do than hanging out with Barbie and her boyfriend." I grinned, and pressed my lips to his. Our tongues danced and his hands squeezed my sides. I cupped his face in my hands, pressing myself closer and closer until there wasn't a part of my body that wasn't flush against his. After a few seconds I pulled away, a surprised sound escaping my lips and a blush flaming my cheeks. I'd…excited him.

"Sorry," I mumbled, embarrassed. I started to shift off of his lap but he refused to let me go.

"Don't be," he said. "Don't get all shy on me, Lena. It's not like we're in public. I'm in my room, on my bed, with the sexiest damn girlfriend I've ever had."

I blushed some more.

"You should take it as a compliment," he continued.

I laughed. "Good to know."

"Raise your arms."

"What?"

"Raise your arms." he said again. I rolled my eyes, knowing where this was going, but complied. In two seconds flat Damon was throwing my shirt on the ground and flipping me onto my back. I wrapped my legs around his hips as he trailed kisses between my cleavage. When he was done he sighed and rested in face in the crook of my neck.

"I'm strung so damn tight lately," he admitted. "It's been months."

"I know." I said, feeling guilty. We'd only been going out a couple weeks, but if what Damon said about not sleeping with Andie was true, and I believed it was, then he hadn't been intimate since October. I suspected that was a record for him. "It'll happen," I told him. He sucked at my skin with his lips, tickling my flesh. "I promise. We just have to be patient."

"Patience was never my strong suit." He pulled away from my neck and stared down at me, his blue eyes as captivating as ever. His fingers brushed my cheek tenderly and my heart fluttered in my chest. I grabbed his face and pulled him back down on top of me, capturing his lips with mine. His hands sprang into action, unsnapping my bra and moving down to the button on my pants. "When do we have to meet Blondie?" he asked. I threw my head back and groaned. I'd already forgotten. Damn his magical hands.

"Fifteen minutes."

Now Damon groaned. "You don't think we could squeeze in a quickie, do you?"

I lifted myself up on my elbows. "Do you really want our first time to be a quickie?"

He groaned again. "No."

I smiled. I squeezed my legs tightly around his hips and rolled us to where his back was now on the bed and I was straddling him. My bra fell off momentarily from the change of position but I slipped it back up my arms and hooked the clasp.

"I like it better off." Damon informed me, grinning devilishly.

I laughed, then said honestly, "Me too."

My phone started to ring. I jumped off Damon and ran to grab it, already knowing who it was. "Yes, we're coming, Caroline." I said into the phone. I looked over at Damon where he was still laying on the bed and motioned for him to get ready before turning to head to my room to find another shirt to wear. The one on the floor was now officially wrinkled.

Caroline wanted to go somewhere out of town but I managed to talk her into having dinner at Mystic Grill. She was disappointed but let it go - I think she knew not to press her luck.

Strangely Damon and I managed to beat them there. We slid into one of the booths and ordered drinks while we waited. After ten minutes Damon said:

"I've never been stood up before. It's a humbling feeling. Well, we tried." He grabbed my hand and tried to pull me out of the booth but I yanked him back down.

"We weren't stood up. They're just…late." I insisted. Damon rolled his eyes and took a sip of his beer (I was the designated driver tonight). I grabbed my phone out of my purse and sent Caroline an angry text. A minute later she replied: _Almost there_. Damon read it over my shoulder and sighed loudly.

"I had so many hopes, and dreams…" he whined mournfully. I snorted. He smirked at me. "I don't know why you're laughing. Your naked body stars in every one of them." I'm pretty sure soda came out of my nose. His hand crept up my thigh under the table and my body started to hum with a very familiar ache. I let him pull me closer, to where I was pressed against his side. He nuzzled my hair away from my neck with his nose and started leaving hungry kisses from my shoulder to my jaw. My heart pounded and my hand gripped his leg as I threw my head back to give him better access.

"Damon," I moaned longingly. I felt him smile against my neck and his hand slipped up the back of my shirt, flattening itself against the small of my back.

"I'd say get a room, but then you'd have to leave, so," I jerked away from Damon at the sound of Caroline's voice. She plopped into the opposite side of the booth. "how about keep it in your pants until later, kay?" She smiled snidely at Damon then nudged me under the table with her foot. Damon scowled back at her then stood to shake Klaus's hand. When they both sat down I waved at Caroline's boyfriend from across the table. He was cuter than I remembered. Maybe that was because I'd barely gotten a look at him at the party.

"Sorry we're late," Caroline apologized, then said just as casually, "Klaus got a new car. Had to break in the backseat if you know what I mean." She winked at me. I choked on my coke again. This time I pushed it away. Clearly I wasn't going to be able to drink anything tonight.

Klaus laughed and smiled at Caroline. "Not shy, are you, love?" The way he said it implied he wasn't the least bit embarrassed. Proud, more than anything. Maybe they were good for each other. "It's one of the things I like about you." Caroline leaned over and kissed him. I looked down at the table, suddenly remembering my dislike for public displays of affection. And I'd just been doing the same thing with Damon. I'd completely forgotten there were other people around. I hoped we hadn't made anyone uncomfortable.

Damon leaned in to me and whispered in my ear, "You didn't say Blondie found an actual Ken to her Barbie." Against my will, I cracked a smile and had to hold back a laugh.

"So, what'd you guys do with Missy?" Caroline asked when she finally managed to pull away from Klaus.

"Stefan's watching her," I said. We kept Missy inside all week like we were supposed to. Her temperature stayed down, thankfully, so there were no more trips to the hospital.

Caroline nodded, then frowned.

"Wait, he's not going out with his girlfriend? It's Saturday night." she asked.

"They broke up." I tried to ignore the fact that it was right after Stefan had kissed me. I didn't want to be the reason for the end of their relationship. I liked Lexi, and she was good for Stefan. I was sad when I found out he'd ended it. I was positive it wasn't because he was hung up on me, though. He hadn't made anymore moves to suggest that. I imagined it was the guilt of having kissed me while dating her.

"Oh," Caroline said. "Well, that's sad. But we're not going to be sad. This is going to be a fun night," She looked around. "Where's the waitress? I need a beer." She motioned at the first waitress she saw. April scurried over and took our order. I wasn't feeling that hungry so I tried to order a salad but Damon scowled and told April to bring me a double cheeseburger and a chocolate shake. When she walked away I pinched his arm.

"Dictator," I said.

"Twig." he said back. I rolled my eyes.

Caroline snickered. "You guys have a wonderful relationship." Damon opened his mouth to say something to her but then closed it, probably because her boyfriend was sitting right next to her. I highly doubted he was afraid of Klaus. I suspected he was being good for my sake.

"So, Klaus," I said, trying to get a conversation going. He looked over at me. "What do you do?"

"I own a construction company," he replied proudly. "Worked my way up from the very bottom." Caroline squeezed his hand and grinned giddily.

"Yep, that's my man. Driven and goal oriented."

"What about you, Damon?" Klaus asked. "What's your occupation?"

I froze in my seat, a cold chill running through my bones. I knew from experience that that was a touchy subject. I glanced sideways at Damon, not knowing what he was going to say. He looked uncomfortable and I nearly winced. Damon got defensive when he got uncomfortable.

"Right now I'm focusing on taking care of my daughter," he said tersely, giving Klaus a hard glare, daring him to say something offensive. I grabbed his hand under the table and gave it a squeeze. Damon didn't look at me but I felt the muscles in his arm relax a little.

"Right, Caroline told me you have a little one," Klaus said. "Bravo to you, mate. I can't imagine having a child anytime soon."

Caroline's smile immediately fell. "What?"

Uh oh.

Luckily at that moment our food was delivered. The baby talk was something I fully believed they needed to have in private.

"Oh, great. _You_." Caroline snarled at our waitress.

"April just got off," Vicki scowled right back at her. "I'll be your server for the rest of the evening." Okay, so maybe we weren't so lucky.

"I'd rather starve."

"Fine by me." Vicki started plopping the food in front of us. "Can I get you anything else?" her tone implied she was only asking because she had to. Damon and I shook our heads, Caroline ignored her. Vicki turned to Klaus and her seductive smile immediately fell into place. She popped one hip out, resting her hand on its curve. "What about you?" she asked.

Klaus shook his head and gave her a polite smile. "No thank you, sweetheart." Caroline was seething in her seat, glaring at the table.

Vicki continued, "You sure? I could-"

"We're good, Vicki. Thanks." Caroline snapped crisply. Vicki shrugged, but there was a pleased smile on her face.

"Shit. I have to quit." Caroline said once she walked away.

"You don't have to quit." I said, vaguely annoyed. "Just ignore her."

"Why would Ric hire her?" she whined angrily.

"Probably because we're short staffed."

"I'm sensing hostility," Klaus interjected. Damon snickered and I almost did with him.

"Vicki is my ex-boyfriend's soon to be ex-wife." Caroline explained without looking at him. "Ugh, I can't believe she's here."

"She probably moved back in with Matt." I suggested. Caroline frowned then grabbed a fry and threw it in her mouth. Guess she didn't really mean the whole 'starving' thing.

"I'm going to murder her if she looks over here with those goo-goo eyes again." If she looked at Klaus again, she meant.

We ate mostly in silence. Except for when I took the first sip of my milkshake and nearly had an orgasm it was so good. The sound that came out of me had Damon tense beside me, a wild spark in his eyes. He put his arm around me and slipped his hand casually beneath my shirt. Neither Caroline or Klaus seemed to notice. Leave it to Damon to know how to cop a feel without catching anyone's attention. His hand stayed there until Caroline suggested we try a game of pool.

I was confused as to why Caroline suggested boys against girls until it was their turn and she pulled me off to the side, out of earshot.

"So, what do you think?" she asked.

"He seems nice to me." I said. "Seems kinda perfect for you, actually."

"You're not getting that vibe…?"

"No, I'm not." I glanced over at the guys to make sure they were still playing. One after the other they kept shooting the balls in the pockets. I could feel the competitive edge from here. I wondered if they remembered they were on the same team. I looked back at Caroline. "And I don't think you are, either."

"What do you mean-"

"Look," I said, cutting her off. "I know how you feel. It's okay to be insecure," She started to say something but I reached out and grabbed her arms. "You're looking for something to be wrong with Klaus so you can run back to what you know. But Tyler isn't the answer here, Care. If you know, if you feel in your heart that Tyler is it for you - that there won't ever be anyone else - then you should be with him." I let go of her arms and nodded at the guys. "But if you feel yourself falling for Klaus, even a little bit, then I don't think Tyler is it for you." It's not that I didn't like Tyler, since he was always with Caroline we hung out a lot back in high school, I'd say we'd even been half-way friends, but Caroline was my best friend and this was me looking out for her. Caroline looked at Klaus and studied him for a moment, then her eyes softened.

"I don't know." she lied.

"Bullshit."

"What about the baby thing?" she asked. "I want kids, Elena."

"He didn't say never. He said not right now," I pointed out. "But if it's something that bothers you then you need to talk to him about it."

"You're right," she sighed. Then poked my arm. "See, this is why I wanted you to come."

"Happy to help."

"Hey, girls, your turn," Klaus called with a grin. "Your boyfriend finally missed one, Elena."

"Well, I can't be the best at everything," Damon said in a light tone. He grinned at me. My heart lifted. He was relaxing. This was good. Caroline and I walked over to them and took the pool cues. Klaus glanced at something over Caroline's shoulder and whispered something in her ear then said aloud that he'd be back before heading off somewhere.

"What's that about?" I asked Care.

She shrugged. "Don't know. Said he had to do something."

The music changed overhead abruptly and we all looked around. Klaus's British accent filled the room and we spotted him on the stage in the middle of the restaurant, speaking into a microphone. I waited for someone to make him get down but then I remembered it was open mike night.

"I would like to dedicate this song to my girlfriend Caroline," he said, winked at her from across the room. He then started singing a rendition of 'Sweet Caroline'. He was pretty damn good too. Caroline and I gave each other equal looks of shock, our mouths hanging open. One of her hands flew to cover her mouth when she turned back to watch Klaus, the other clenched at the material over her heart. Klaus motioned for her to join him on stage, his eyes only for her. Caroline's eyes shown with awe and something else I realized the moment she did.

"Shit, I love him." she blurted, looking over at me. "I love him." she repeated as the realization sunk in. I nodded and she smiled so brightly it was blinding. She took off toward Klaus and joined him on the stage. He pushed the mic in her direction and they continued the song together. Their voices blended well together.

Arms encircled my waist and I leaned back against Damon's chest. I felt his warm breath on my ear as he whispered, "I don't have to sing you a song to prove my feelings, do I?" I laughed and turned in his arms to face him.

"If I said yes, would you do it?"

"Is that even a question?" For a second I thought he was joking but then I realized he looked completely serious.

"I've heard your singing. Let's spare these poor people the torture. But I'm sure you can think of something else to prove your feelings for me," I said teasingly, kissing him lightly before pulling away.

Damon's eyes flashed. He picked me up and sat me on the pool table, stepping between my legs. "I like that challenge." he said before crashing his lips to mine.


	29. Chapter 29

AN: Whew. Vulnerable Damon is harder to write than snarky Damon. I know this chapter is shorter (I'm sorry!) but I really felt like this was as long as it needed to be! Please keep leaving reviews!

* * *

As we pulled up to the cabin a smile spread across my face.

Damon put the car into park and looked over at me. I'd already been watching him, waiting to see his reaction. He took my hand in his and rubbed his thumb across the back of my hand before turning back to look at the house again.

"It's quaint," he said, a small smile on his face. "And private. I like it."

I leaned over and pecked him on the cheek before climbing out of the car and nearly jogging up to the porch. I grabbed my key out of my back pocket and unlocked the door, turning to make sure Damon was following me before I walked inside.

It was just like I remembered it. Wood floors, old furniture, family pictures on the walls.

A few days ago I asked Uncle Grayson if Damon and I could borrow his lake house over the weekend. He'd graciously said yes. (Stefan and Caroline agreed to share babysitting duties over the weekend so I wouldn't feel guilty for saddling one of them with all the responsibilities for two days.)

I'd only been to the lake house a few times before, when I was much younger, but I loved it. I loved laying on the couch by a cozy fire, I loved standing out on the dock looking out at the water, I loved reading a book in absolute quiet in one of the upstairs rooms. And, right now, I loved getting to share it with Damon.

I showed him around the house, not missing a single room, then hauled him out to the dock. We stood there, side by side, hand in hand, looking out at the water. Having just rained a few days prior, the lake was full, almost touching the top of the dock. Enticing as it was, I knew the water would be too cold to swim in, being that it was the end of January.

We'd eaten on the ride up here so we weren't particularly hungry. But I did find a bottle of wine on the wine rack beside the fridge and popped the cork, hoping Uncle Grayson wouldn't mind. After pouring the wine I handed Damon a glass and sat next to him on the couch, leaning into his side.

"This is nice," I sighed.

"It is." Damon agreed, kissing the top of my head. Then he said, softer, "You know what would make it better?"

"What's that?" I whispered back.

"If we weren't wearing any clothes."

I sat up and put my glass of wine on the coffee table, then did the same thing with his. I'd been waiting for him to bring it up, not wanting to seem too eager, but now that he had I could barely contain myself. I said, "Why don't I show you the guest room again."

"Sounds like a plan," Damon breathed, jumping to his feet. We raced each other up the stairs, kicking our shoes off as we did. When we came to the guest bedroom at the end of the hall we barley stepped through the doorway before we were ripping each other's clothes off.

Damon pushed me against a wall and I sucked in a sharp breath as he pulled my jeans down my legs. As he stood back up he kissed my thighs, my stomach, my chest, my neck, and then my mouth. I wrapped my arms around him, running my fingers through his hair. His hands squeezed my hips and I moaned, arching my back. Damon pulled me tighter against him and said in a husky voice, "I love it when you make that sound."

I kissed his face. His jaw, his cheekbones, the corners of his lips. I grabbed at his shirt and he raised his arms so I could pull it over his head. My hands were greedy, making their way across his chest and around to his back, digging their nails in until he moaned and brought his lips down to mine. I popped the button on his jeans and he pulled away. Looked me in the eyes for several seconds.

"No interruptions this time." he said, the desire in his voice was like liquid, leaking all over the place, covering me from head to toe. My skin tingled and my body ached and my soul _craved._

"No interruptions." I agreed.

His mouth returned to mine and we kissed like we were each other's oxygen. Like we needed this to survive. Our tongue's danced and our hands roamed until that was no longer enough.

We removed each other's remaining articles of clothing and fell onto the bed, twisting in the sheets, and devoured each other.

* * *

Sun bled through the curtains the next morning, lighting the room in streaks of yellow. I blinked my eyes several times as I woke. They landed on the clothes scattered across the floor - my shirt was half-way across the room - and I felt Damon's arm around my waist, his chest pressed against my back. And I smiled.

As if he could sense I was awake, Damon pressed his lips to my shoulder, and then again to my arm. I turned in his arms to face him. His hand crept up my side from my hip to caress my cheek. I placed my hand over his and smiled softly.

"Any regrets, blue eyes?" I asked quietly, leaning into his touch.

"Other than not doing that a whole lot sooner," he said seriously. "None." He leaned forward and kissed me and I felt like I was melting, melding into a whole new person. Someone with a partner, a lover, another half. I never thought I was a lonely person, but I realized, compared to this, I had been. Damon's kisses were so deep, so passionate, so…tender, that it felt like each one held a promise. A promise that I would never be alone again.

We shifted in the sheets and I was on my back, his body covering mine. I shivered at his touch as his hands slid down my sides, reveled in the way he kissed my neck. My hands gripped his shoulders and I moaned into his mouth as he kissed my lips.

"You're so special, Elena," he murmured. "I know you don't see it, but you are." I opened my mouth to respond but he kissed the corner of my lips, then continued, "I've been having trouble lately remembering how I lived without you. And I know that was only a few months ago but it's like you're the center of my life now. You and Missy. My gravity, holding me here when otherwise I'd drift away." His index finger grazed my bottom lip. I felt completely motionless beneath him. "I know I don't deserve you, or the right to ask anything of you, but I have to ask you something,"

He waited for me to respond so I forced my lips open and said weakly, "Okay."

His eyes looked into mine, and then they fell down to my lips, his thumb grazing my chin as he said, "Stay with me."

I swallowed. "What do you mean?"

He smiled softly. "That didn't make much sense, did it? I meant, I know I can be impulsive and arrogant, and a flat out asshole sometimes, but just…bear with me. Please. If you left…" He breathed in a deep breath. "Stay with me."

I'd never seen him more vulnerable. My heart ached to heal him, my arms to hold him, my lips to reassure him. I couldn't say quick enough, "I'm here." I cupped his face in my hands. "I'm here. And I don't plan on going anywhere." I pulled him down to kiss him and it was a desperate all consuming kiss. He needed me, and I needed him to know how much I needed him too.

Because I loved him.


	30. Chapter 30

AN: Sorry for the wait. School is winding down and I've been busy with finals and everything. Hope you enjoy the chapter and please leave a review!

* * *

"Damon, hurry up, she's standing!" I yelled over my shoulder. I sat in front of Missy, a hand hovering near both of her sides to make sure she didn't fall and hurt herself.

"I got it!" Damon said triumphantly, running into the room. He hastily messed with the video camera in his hands, turning it on. He came to sit beside me on the floor when he got it running. Missy smiled at him, waving one of her hands in his direction. She took a step toward him but her movements were wobbly and I caught her before she fell on her butt. She pouted, giving me what could only be an annoyed look. I set her on the floor and held up my hands. "Sorry." I said. She wasn't down for two seconds before she tried to stand again. This time she made it the two steps to Damon and he handed me the camera so she could walk into his arms. I leveled the camera on them and smiled as he sat her in his lap.

"Mumbling one syllable words and walking all in the same week," Damon said proudly. "She's pretty gifted if you ask me."

"She's pretty stubborn," I said teasingly, smiling at Missy when she looked at me like she knew I was talking about her.

"Yeah, well," Damon said, wrapping an arm around my head and pulling me to him. I laughed and the camera fell out of my hands as my face pressed into his chest. Damon placed a kiss on the top of my head. "Look at who she's got for role models. Would you expect anything else?" I pulled away just enough to be able to kiss his lips.

"Wouldn't want it any other way." I grinned. Missy stretched her arms toward me across Damon's lap. When she thought I didn't notice her she whined and bounced a few times. "So it's my turn now," I said as I picked her up. She smiled happily as I perched her on my hip. When I looked back at Damon he was watching me affectionately and I felt the absurd need to blush. He reached over and brushed a hand along my cheek, effectively speeding up my heart and slowing my breaths at the same time. I leaned into his touch, turning to place a kiss on his palm. Damon's eyes flashed, and then he was kissing me, deeply. He didn't pull away until he had to breathe. Missy rested her head on my shoulder and I looked at the clock on the wall to confirm that it was her bedtime. I stood up and Damon understood without me having to say anything. He walked with me up the stairs then offered to put Missy to bed as we approached her room.

Shortly after Damon and I started…spending more 'time' together we decided it was time for Missy to have her own room. We set her up in my old room - since I'd basically moved into Damon's with him. He even insisted I move my things over. He'd cleared out room for me in both his dresser and the closet, plus some space in the bathroom. I'd been trying not to smile from ear to ear as he walked me through the room naming each area as either 'Yours', 'Mine' or 'Ours' for the few spaces we would have to share.

I handed him Missy and hurried into _our_ room, peeling off my clothes as soon as I stepped through the threshold. When Damon came in and saw me standing there in my underwear he smirked, crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

"Someone's an eager beaver," he teased. I rested my hands on my hips.

"And someone obviously doesn't want to get laid."

He straightened abruptly, all the humor leaking from his face. His mouth fell open. "I-"

"Shut up and take your clothes off." I instructed. Damon closed the door quickly and crossed the room in a few strides. He stopped in front of me and yanked his shirt over his head, looking down at me hungrily.

"Whatever you say, Lena."

Sometime later - not _near_ long enough - my phone started ringing, forcing me to pull away from Damon's scorching kisses. He protested but I pressed a hand to his chest to keep him off me while I reached for the phone with my other. I briefly debated declining the call when I saw who it was but decided it would probably be better if I just answered it.

"Hey, Care," I said into the phone. Damon groaned and fell back onto his pillow.

"Of course it's her." he murmured like a toddler. "She always has the best timing." I waved for him to be quiet.

"I heard that," Care said matter-of-factly. "Listen, I know you and Damon have been attached basically all the time since you finally did the deed - and when I say 'attached' I mean literally - but you're gonna have to close your legs for a few hours. Ric needs you to work tonight. He asked me to call you."

"But it's my night off." I said, unable to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"I know, but Jessica went into labor. She had to go to the hospital. And, you know, Ric still doesn't really trust me behind the counter."

_Damn._ Never thought I'd see the day I cursed the miracle of childbirth.

"But it's not even when I normally come in," I said, looking at the clock; the time seven forty-five looked back at me.

"There's no one else." she insisted.

"Okay, fine." I sighed, and glanced at the clock again. If I hurried I could be there by eight.

"'Kay, great." Caroline replied then hung up the phone after a quick goodbye.

"So…." Damon said seductively, snaking an arm around my middle. "Ready to go again?"

Yes.

"I can't," I said disappointedly. "I have to go in to work. Jessica's having her baby."

Damon frowned. "They can't call someone else?"

"No, unfortunately." I said. "Other than me and Jess, Will is the only one qualified to work behind the bar and he's out of town."

"Well that _is_ unfortunate."

"Yeah." I agreed, throwing the covers back to crawl out of bed. I grabbed my underwear off the floor and slipped them on. "It's just until morning." I told Damon, looking over my shoulder as I continued getting dressed. He grumbled something unintelligible. Once I was fully clothed I climbed back onto the bed and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Don't pout." I said. He crossed his arms in response. I rolled my eyes and backpedaled off the bed. "I'll be back."

"I'll be here." he replied.

The Grill was (unfortunately) tremendously busy for a Sunday night. Caroline was occupied waiting tables when I got there, along with April, so she was barley able to wave at me. Ric was behind the bar as I approached, trying to fill everyone's orders as quickly as he could. For a second I was so surprised I stopped in my tracks. Ric was trained to work as a bartender, yeah, but that didn't mean he was very good at it. He hated it, actually. He wasn't shy, but he got too stressed about it, worried too much. As I watched the guy I could see his brow furrowed and beads of sweat dripping down his face.

I hurried through the crowd of people and around the bar. The relief on Ric's face when he saw me was so profound I almost gave him a hug out of sympathy. Almost. He did interrupt my night.

"Elena," he breathed. "Thank God."

"Hey," I replied, grabbing my apron out from under the bar and wrapping it around my hips. "What's going on? Why are we so busy?"

Ric motioned to the several TV's we had hanging around the Grill. They were all on the same channel, men in football gear were running across a field. "Super Bowl," Ric explained and I let out an audible "Ahh,"

Ric turned around and filled a glass of beer then handed it to the customer. He was already grabbing another glass to fill no sooner than the first one left his hand.

"I got it, Ric," I told him. "You can go relax." From the redness of his face I could tell he really needed a break.

"No, it'll be better if we both work," he said without stopping. "Two sets of hands are better than one."

I agreed with him there but I still told him I thought he needed a breather. He waved off my concern, unwilling to listen. So we worked together, and we did end up filling orders a whole lot quicker than I would have been able to on my own. But after forty-five minutes when Ric looked like he was about to collapse I forced him to go back to his office for at least a fifteen minute break. I sent two bottles of water with him.

"I don't know how you do this all the time," he murmured as he staggered away. I laughed, then turned to help a woman who asked for another glass of beer.

I had to admit, football wasn't my thing. I could watch a game and keep up, sure, but I didn't get the excitement over the sport that everyone else seemed to have. Damon wasn't really an avid fan either, I'd noticed. He'd catch a game every now and then but he wasn't parked on the couch every time there was one on. He hadn't even mentioned the Super Bowl tonight. Either he'd forgotten because he was busy with me and Missy all day, or he didn't care because he was spending time with me and Missy all day. Either way it brought a big smile to my face.

I fell quickly into my familiar routine, filling drink orders left and right. I tended to zone out everything except what was in front of me when we got super busy so I completely didn't see Damon until I spun around and stared him in the face. I was so surprised I gaped.

"Hey," I said when I could manage it. One of the corners of his lips pulled up and I felt a smile form on my face. He was sitting on one of the stools at the bar - how he'd gotten one I wasn't sure. And, okay, I admit it, I was at the point where seeing my boyfriend made me smile. Even if I'd just seen him an hour ago… "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged lightly. "Miss is asleep, and I got bored."

"Wait, you didn't leave her-"

"Of course not," He waved a hand dismissively. "Stefan's there."

"So you just…decided to come down here?" The way my heart was beating so fast made me feel like a teenager talking to her crush.

He shrugged again. "Yeah."

Some guys to my right started rapping their knuckles on the bar to get my attention. I spared them a glance to let them know I'd heard them then turned back to Damon. "You realize I have to work, right?"

"Yeah, about that," he said. I leaned closer to him so that I could hear him better over the loud shouts of the enthusiastic football fans. The palms of my hands rested against the lower counter, my hips pressed into the side. Damon looked at me dead on, eyes blazing and serious, and said, "I think you should quit."

It took me a few moments to believe I'd actually heard him right. "What?" I said. "Quit what? My job? I can't quit my job. That's crazy." I pushed away from the counter, shaking my head.

"You haven't even heard my pitch yet," Damon said, disappointed. "You can't tell me you like working here."

"I like it fine." As much as you could probably like being a bartender. It was a job. Definitely not my dream job but I got a decent paycheck, and that was all I could really ask for.

The men who were still waiting to be served started to get rowdy. "Hey, sweetheart!" one of them yelled. "Move your ass!" I wanted to dump his beer over his head for having just about the worst timing possible. But like a good employee I placed it on the counter in front of him instead. When I looked back at Damon he had an eyebrow raised.

"We'll talk about it later," I said sharply, lowering my voice. "Now go home." I'd been so excited to see him just a few minutes before, and now I really wanted him to leave. Oh how quickly things can change.

"Lena-"

I started to step in his direction but someone grabbed a hold of my wrist, yanking me back. I looked up to find the same man who'd called me 'sweetheart' before leaning across the counter. "More beer," he said sloppily, slurring his words. I tried to pull my arm away but his grip was too strong.

"Sir, let go of me," I demanded in a calm voice. Experience had taught me that reason was the best way to handle situations such as this. "I'll get you your beer." In another life maybe. This guy was _so _cut off. "But you have to let me go first."

"How about you let her go or I'll rip your arm off," Damon was beside the guy now. He slapped a hand on the man's shoulder and gave it a rough squeeze, glaring down at him. The drunk's eyes were glazed over and I wasn't really sure he understood a thing that was being said to him until he stood to face Damon, letting go of me in the process. He shoved Damon with both of his hands.

"What's it to you, tough guy," The man was just barely understandable. I hurried out from behind the bar and ran to go grab Ric. I got back just in time to see the guy throw a punch at Damon - he missed - and Damon raise his arm to throw one back.

"Don't you dare!" I yelled, nearly jumping on him. I grabbed his raised arm and began to pull him away as Ric went to tend to the drunkard. And by that I mean throw him out. "He's wasted!" I scolded Damon. "That's not a fair fight."

"I've been in many fights while intoxicated," Damon informed me. "Always seemed fair to me." I rubbed a hand against my forehead.

"Just go home."

"Come with me."

"I'm working."

"Quit."

"I can't quit!" How did he not get that? I literally could not quit. I paid for all of Missy's expenses on top of my own. Thank God Stefan paid for most of the groceries and utilities or I'd have to get a second job. "Damon, I pay for _everything _baby related. How would you take care of your daughter?" I didn't realize how harsh it sounded until I said it, but there it was.

"I'll figure it out," Damon said simply. There was an edge of annoyance to his voice. Like _I _was the one being unreasonable.

"How? Are _you_ going to get a job?" I demanded, placing my hands on my hips.

He ignored my question. "This job is dangerous, Elena." He motioned to the rowdy crowd around the bar as if to prove his point. And now I was fuming. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I glared at him.

"_Are you kidding me!_" I tried not to yell but failed pretty miserably. Damon opened his mouth to respond but at that moment Ric sidled up next to me.

"Is everything okay over here?" he cut in. My shoulders sagged and I sighed deeply.

"Yeah, everything's fine." I said, then motioned between the two of them with my hand. "Ric, this is Damon, my boyfriend. Damon, my boss Alaric." They shook hands and exchanged grunts of manly greeting. I shot Damon a look that said if he mentioned to Ric what we'd just been talking about I'd skin him alive.

"Look I hate to interrupt," Ric began after a couple seconds of awkward silence. "But we're kind of busy tonight" - Ha. Kind of. - "so if you guys could continue this later…" As he spoke a loud roar of cheers rose in the crowd. There was a lot of hooting and hollering and someone yelled, "Hey, more beer!"

"Right," I said to Ric. "I'll get back to work." Ric nodded and left to give me a few seconds alone with Damon. I looked up at my stubborn-ass boyfriend and frowned. He looked ready to continue our argument so I was quick to cut him off before he could even get a word out.

"Go home, Damon." I said firmly.

"Elena-"

"Please. I have to work. I'll see you later." My tone left no room for argument. Luckily, he finally seemed to get that. He stared at me with those frustrating blue eyes for a second then swooped down, placed a kiss on my cheek and left. He only did it because he knew it would piss me off even more than I already was. But even knowing this I couldn't squelch a growl of anger as I watched him walk out the door.


	31. Chapter 31

"Can you believe that?" I growled angrily, wiping off the counter a little more forcefully than necessary. "I mean, what does he think we're gonna do? We can't live off of _nothing_. How does he not see that?"

Once I got home this morning Damon and I fought more about me quitting my job. You know, the thing that gives me my living. Not like that's a big deal or anything. After an hour of back and forth I stormed up to my room, my _old_ room, and slammed the door. I stayed there the rest of the day, unable to sleep do to the anger stirring my blood, until it was time for me to go back to work later that night. Damon was sitting on the couch with Missy when I left. I didn't say anything as I passed and he didn't either. I was still miffed when I got to the Grill and, lucky her, Caroline was there for me to unload on.

"He wants to spend more time with you," Caroline said, shrugging once. "It's actually kind of sweet. Ugh, gag me, I just said Damon Salvatore was sweet." She made a face.

"It's bullshit is what it is!" I threw the rag onto the counter and leaned forward, gripping my hands around the edges. "He wants to play house. It's unrealistic. It's childish. It's…"

"Damon Salvatore." Care said. "Come on, Elena. You know as well as I do the man's gotten everything he wanted since the day he was born. He's spoiled, arrogant, pompous, pretentious-"

I cut her off. "Could you get to the point? I'd rather not hear you list the shortcomings of my boyfriend." my voice was snippy. I tried to dial it down - my aggravation wasn't with her - but Caroline didn't seem offended.

"Right, right. My point," she continued, "is that Damon Salvatore is a manchild. And he always will be until you set him straight. You gotta show him that the world isn't going to bend over and kiss his ass. Some things you have to earn through determination and hard work!" she sounded so passionate for a second that I found myself vehemently nodding.

"Hey, miss!" There was a man sitting at a table toward the back. He waved his hand in the air to get Caroline's attention. "I'm ready to order," he said.

"I'll be right with you!" Caroline said with a tight smile. When she turned back to me it was replaced with a scowl. A second later April pushed through the kitchen doors, carrying a pitcher of tea. She walked over to a table to our left to fill someone's empty glass. "April, sweetie!" Caroline called over to her. "There's someone at your table over there," She motioned with a hand. April glanced up and nodded, then stopped mid-step.

"Wait, isn't that your section?" she asked.

"I think I know my section, sweetie," Caroline replied. "And that one is most definitely yours."

April looked confused at first, then embarrassed. "Right." she murmured.

"Don't let her bully you, April," Vicki snarled, stopping next to April. She grabbed April's arm to keep her from going anywhere. "That's _her_ section. She can get off her lazy ass and go do it herself." Vicki walked toward the kitchen, pulling April behind her. When they disappeared through the doors Caroline turned back to me, her eyes sharp as knives.

"I'm going to kill her. I swear I am."

"No, you're not," I said, "Girl talk would be a lot harder if you were locked up. Besides, what happened to determination and hard work?"

She scowled at me. "It ran into its old friends exhaustion and sore feet."

I laughed once, then shook my head. "Go help your table." Mumbling something under her breath, she begrudgingly got to her feet.

"This isn't the same thing, by the way," she said quickly. "At least I have a job. I don't like it, but I do. The same can't be said for the blue-eyed wonder." I considered that as she walked away. I chewed on my lip and for a second desperately wished I could take a shot of tequila. I grabbed my water bottle instead and took a big gulp. A man sitting at the end of the bar waved at me with a wobbly hand. He nearly fell over as he slurred an order at me that I couldn't even understand. I didn't know this man; had never seen him before tonight. He was probably from out of town; a passer through. We got those sometimes.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't give you anymore alcohol. I have to cut you off." I said.

The man swore several times, loud and obnoxiously. He slipped off his stool and tried to stand but he had to slump most of his weight against the counter. I wanted to swear too. I didn't remember giving him that much alcohol. He must be a real lightweight. "I want to see the manager!" he managed to say. It almost sounded like he was chewing on his tongue.

"Sure," I said, trying to placate him. I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket and dialed. The taxi place answered on the third ring like they always did and promised they'd get here within ten minutes. The man was being incredibly rowdy when I hung up the phone. I rounded the bar and came to stand beside him.

"Sir, please come with me," I said calmly. Like a nurse might would speak to a patient. He wasn't listening. He was doing his best to yell over me actually. From what I could tell he kept swearing and asking for the manager. I motioned for Caroline to help me and she hurried over to the man's other side. Matt rushed out from the back - I assumed either Vicki or April had gone to get him - and came to help.

"Sir, we're going to take you outside," I told the intoxicated man. Matt reached for him but the man jerked away, nearly falling over.

"No!" he yelled.

"Sir-" I said again as Matt managed to grab his arm this time. The man tried to pull his one arm away while simultaneously rearing back with the other. He swung, aiming for Matt, but greatly misjudged his shot and nailed me in the eye. Even for a drunk guy there was so much power behind the punch I stumbled several steps backward and slammed into the bar.

"Elena!" Caroline shrieked.

"_Shit_," I cursed, then looked up at Caroline standing beside me. "Don't tell Damon!" I said quickly but it felt like my tongue was tied in a knot. My head was spinning, or the room was, one or the other. I tried to hold onto the counter of the bar but my grip was progressively getting looser. Black spots danced across my vision and I felt myself start to fall, my feet giving out underneath me.

And then the world was gone.

* * *

My eyes felt glued shut. I peeled them open slowly, blinking several times. My vision was blurry for a few seconds before everything came into focus.

I was in a hospital room. I recognized the bare walls, the stench of bleach, the uncomfortable patient's bed I was lying in. The room was empty except for me, and the body that was lying next to me. My head was resting on his chest, his arm was tucked around my shoulders.

"Damon…?" I murmured, tilting my head up to try to see his face. His breathing stopped for a moment and then he let out a deep sigh.

"Lena," he said against my hair, kissing the top of my head. "You're awake."

"And you're here." I started to pull away but quickly changed my mind. His warmth comforted me, being in his arms gave me a peace that nothing else could. No one could drag me away if they tried. "Why are you…here?"

His body stiffened. "Why am I…? Is that a joke?" I pressed my face into his chest and shrugged.

"I don't know… We were fighting…" I said.

"I'm always going to be here for you," His words were hard at first, like he was aggravated with me. But when he spoke again his tone was softer, even a little teasing. "I hate to break it to you but you're stuck with me now."

I smiled softly. "I think I'm okay with that."

"How're you feeling?" he asked.

"My head hurts," I admitted. "And my eye…" I reached up to run my fingers around my left eye. It was swollen for sure, and tender to the touch. I hissed a little from the pain and dropped my hand. Damon tilted my head up to look at him. A deep scowl was etched into his face.

"He's lucky I don't kill him," he growled, running his thumb along my cheek. He didn't need to elaborate for me to know who he was talking about.

"He was drunk; not thinking straight," I said. "And I'm pretty sure it was an accident. I'll probably just have a black eye for a week or so. It'll go away."

"An accident," Damon laughed, but there was no humor in his voice. "I might 'accidentally' beat the living shit out of him."

"Some things you just have to let go, Damon." I sighed. "This is one of them." I wrapped my arm around his middle and his reflexively tightened around me. "You were right," I admitted. "About the job. I guess it is _a little_ dangerous."

"You have no idea how much I wish I had been wrong, Elena." His voice was so sincere I looked up and placed a slow kiss on his lips.

"So are you going to quit?" he asked when I pulled away.

"Damon…"

"Elena," Damon and I both looked toward the door. My dad was standing there, clipboard in hand. He seemed a little relieved as he looked over at me. "You're awake. Good." I nodded and sat up in the bed, Damon right behind me. Dad set the clipboard at the bottom of the bed and motioned to me. "Come here. I need to check you out. Can you move?" I nodded again and threw back the hospital blanket. Luckily it seemed they'd let me stay in my own clothes instead of changing into a hospital gown. I scooted to the edge of the bed and dangled my legs over the side. Dad stepped in front of me and pulled a small flashlight out of his pocket to shine in my eyes. He focused mostly on my left one, asking me several questions to make sure I could still see right out of it.

"Head hurts, right?" he asked when he put the flashlight away. I nodded. "Anything else? See any stars? Ringing in the ears? Feeling nauseas at all? Fatigue?"

"I do feel kind of tired…" I admitted. "Maybe a little nausea." Dad picked up the clipboard and wrote something on it.

"I think it's a mild concussion," he said, then looked down at me all fatherly-like. "May take a few days to feel like yourself again. I'm ordering you to bed rest for the next twenty-four hours," He looked over at Damon. "I'm assuming you'll be with her the whole time for observation."

"Yes, sir." Damon nodded.

"Good." Back to me. "We put some ice on your eye when you first got here, but I would recommend doing it again when you get home." A nurse scurried in through the door with a small paper cup and handed it to me. "Ibuprofen," Dad explained. I threw the pills into my mouth and swallowed, then accepted the bottle of water the nurse offered me and took a drink. After he had me sign some paperwork he helped me stand from the bed. I was a little wobbly but Damon was there to help me. "Now, I hope I won't have to see you two here again for a while."

I snorted. "I do too." First Missy, now this. Our record for the New Year wasn't great so far. Dad kissed me on the forehead and then Damon and I headed home. I called Caroline during the ride because Damon said she had called him so many times while we were at the hospital he had to turn his phone off. I could barely get a word in edgewise but I managed to let her know I was fine, which had been the goal.

I tried to convince Damon he didn't have to carry me up to our room, or help me change clothes, but he wouldn't hear it. After Damon got back from letting Stefan know we were home, we sat side by side on our bed. I was resting my head on his shoulder, holding the icepack he'd brought me over my eye. He was already pressing the job issue again.

"What would we do, Damon? I'd just have to get a new job." I pointed out. "Probably one that pays less, too."

"I promise I'll figure something out, Elena. You won't have to get another job." He paused for a second, swallowed. "I'll…get one if I have to. Anything." I sat up to look at him, pulling the pack of ice away.

"You would get a job?"

"I've been feeling slightly inadequate lately…" he said, his eyes trained on the foot end of the bed. "You deserve better than me, Elena. You both do." Finally he looked at me. His cheeks were a light shade of pink and his adams apple bobbed as he swallowed. I couldn't believe it. For the first time since I met him, Damon looked...embarrassed. "I can only try to be better, and this…sounds like a step in the right direction. I want to be able to take care of you."

I threw the icepack onto the bed, placed my hands on either side of Damon's neck, and kissed him. I kissed him once, I kissed him twice, I kissed him three times before I pulled back enough to be able to look into his eyes.

"Listen to me, Damon Salvatore," I said, "I think you are the most passionate, devoted, infuriatingly remarkable man I have ever met. We don't _deserve_ each other, because that makes it sound like our past defines who we are now, and it doesn't. So you just remove that word from your vocabulary, okay? We _belong_ to each other. We belong _with _each other. And I realize how vulnerable it makes me to say that right now, but there it is. You don't have to take care of me. We're a team. We'll take care of each other. And together we'll take care of Missy. Understand?"

Damon wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close. He buried his head in my neck and sighed. "You can take care of me here," he said, kissing my neck a couple time before pulling away. "You could have more time with Missy." I had thought of that. It was the thing I thought of when he first brought up the subject. You know, after the rage. My mom was never around and I didn't want Missy to ever feel that way, even if I technically wasn't her mom.

"Fine." I relented. Damon smiled and leaned forward to kiss me but I stopped him. "How about a bargain? You go talk to your dad, really talk to him, and I'll quit my job." To say his smile fell would be an understatement.

"Elena-"

"That's the deal, Damon." I said firmly. "Agree to talk to your dad or I'm going to work tomorrow. I think that guy will have left town by then…"

Damon's eyes hardened. "That's not funny."

"I'm being dead serious."

"I highly doubt he would agree to see me anyway, Elena." he said dejectedly.

"Actually I'm pretty sure he will."

"What would make you think that? It didn't exactly go well the last time we saw each other."

"From what I've gathered, Giuseppe Salvatore is a very prideful man. I'd be willing to bet he'd jump at the chance to see his wayward son beg for forgiveness." I said. Damon opened his mouth to respond but I rushed on, knowing what he was going to say. "Which is not what you're going to do. You're going to show him that you are a mature, level-headed adult who is working on getting his life together. You're going to show him that he was wrong about you."

Damon watched me for a moment, but then he shook his head. "He wouldn't believe it."

"I disagree. Look, I can even go with you if you want. For moral support." He still didn't look convinced. "I really think getting things right with your father would help you, Damon. Even if it's just for some closure. You have no idea how much I wish I could talk to Isobel. But I'll never get that chance. If you agree I'll give my two weeks notice tomorrow."

Damon took a deep breath and let it out in a slow sigh. He pulled me into his side. I rested my head on his chest and wrapped my arms around him.

"All right. I'll do it." he said. I couldn't help a grin. "But you better be prepared to be a little sex monkey once you're better to make up for what I'm going to have to go through."

"Damon, it's my eye that's hurt. That's not going to affect…other places. I'm good for right now if you want." I slipped my hand beneath his shirt and trailed my fingers over his stomach. Even though I felt his skin tingle he shook his head.

"Your dad said twenty-four hours of bed rest."

I turned my head up and placed a kiss on his jaw. "There's more than one kind of bed rest…"

"Dear God, woman!" He kissed my lips hungrily, cupping my face in his hands. I went to remove his shirt but he caught my wrists and held them to my sides. I made a sound of annoyance and he pulled away to look at me. "No." he said firmly. I got the feeling it was to himself as much as it was to me. "Twenty-four hours." I stuck my tongue out at him and he mocked me. He put a hand on my shoulder and pushed me gently down into the bed until my head hit the pillow. "Go to sleep."

"Don't you normally take your shirt off anyway," I reminded him. He crossed his arms over his chest like a girl who'd just caught a guy staring at her boobs.

"Shirt stays on tonight if it'll help you keep it in your pants," he teased, wiggling his brow. "I know I'm hot stuff, Lena, but sex isn't everything."

I hit him with my pillow.

He really did keep his shirt on. To my complete and utter dismay.


End file.
